Plum custard slice recipe

This gorgeously golden tart is delicious as a dessert, served warm with ice cream or as an afternoon treat with a cuppa. Made with a rich custard filling and juicy plums, this tart is a classic mix of sweet cream and sharp, fresh fruit. It'll take just over an hour to make this treat but it's well worth the effort. Most of the time is taken up with baking and chilling so it really isn't as tricky as you might think.

Ingredients

• 250g shortcrust or sweet dessert pastry
• 150ml carton double cream
• 2tbsp cornflour
• 2 medium eggs
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• Few drops of vanilla extract
• 400g plums, stoned and sliced

You will also need:

• 35 x 12cm (14 x x 4½in) fluted flan tin

Method

1. Line the flan tin with the pastry, prick the base with a fork and chill it for at least 20 minutes.
2. Set the oven to 200°C/392°F/Gas Mark 6 and place a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Place the tin on the hot baking sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Lift out the parchment with the baking beans and return the flan case to the oven for a further 3-5 minutes, or until it’s a light golden colour and cooked through, and remove it from the oven.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/320°F/Gas Mark 3.
4. Mix together the cream, cornflour, eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract to give a custard and pour as much as possible into the pastry case. Add the plums and return the slice to the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the filling has just set. Remove from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack.
5. Leave the slice to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then remove from the tin. Serve this tart warm or at room temperature.