DISH RESEARCH · Dessert
Custard square
Erin Clarkson’s custard square follows the New Zealand bakery sweet she remembers from childhood.

About Custard square
Erin Clarkson’s custard square follows the New Zealand bakery sweet she remembers from childhood. Two sheets of crisp homemade puff pastry enclose a thick vanilla custard.
Butter and wheat flour form the layered pastry, while whole milk, cream, eggs and custard powder give the filling its rich, creamy character. Vanilla bean paste flavours the custard and icing.
A vanilla icing covers the top sheet once the custard has set. Served slightly cold and cut into squares, the dessert contrasts flaky pastry with its smooth, firm filling.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Milk, Wheat, Egg.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Custard square
Erin Clarkson’s New Zealand custard square with homemade puff pastry.
- Unsalted butterCooking medium
- Bread flourBase
- All-purpose wheat flourBase
- SaltSeasoning
- Vanilla bean pasteAromatic
- Vanilla bean paste for pastryAromatic · Optional
- WaterLiquid
- Whole milkLiquid
- Heavy creamLiquid
- Custard powderBinder
- SugarSweetener
- EggsBinder
- Powdered sugarSweetener
- Flour for dustingBaseIngredient page not linked
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Unsalted butter: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Milk source-confirmed. Actual173/181/193/198 all same unsalted butter in puff/custard/icing; Milk.
- Bread flour: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Wheat source-confirmed. Actual174/178 conventional bread flour Wheat, in block and dough.
- All-purpose wheat flour: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Wheat source-confirmed. Actual179 ordinary AP flour Wheat, broader wheat-flour candidate.
- Salt: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual180 fine sea salt and custard pinch189, same salt consolidated.
- Vanilla bean paste: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual188/199 custard and icing required, broader vanilla identity; full paste formula unprovided.
- Vanilla bean paste for pastry (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual182 explicitly optional pastry flavour, separate allocation preserves optionality; full paste formula unknown.
- Water: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual183 dough plus234 literal cold-water knife contact.
- Whole milk: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Milk source-confirmed. Actual186 custard and200 icing, Milk.
- Heavy cream: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Milk source-confirmed. Actual187 dairy cream Milk.
- Custard powder: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual190 named powder, source60 corn-starch-based with other flavours/thickeners; full formula unprovided.
- Sugar: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Eggs: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Egg source-confirmed. Actual192 whole eggs, Egg.
- Powdered sugar: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual197 icing, exact product formula unprovided.
- Flour for dusting: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual methods209/211/213/218 generic surface flour, cereal unprovided separately from defined dough flours.
Origins & food traditions
New Zealand association in the attributed source; no exclusive invention claim.
Countries
- New Zealand
- New ZealandCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- New Zealand Cuisine
- New Zealand cuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.