Plant-based custard creams that won’t have you missing dairy

For Ruby Bhogal, these biscuits taste better the plant-based way

Prime candidates for tea dunking (Matt Russell)

“This version of the famous biscuit is a prime candidate for tea dunking,” declares 2018 Bake Off finalist Ruby Bhogal.

“The myriad spices, the complexity and depth of the chai, the subtle warmth from the heady combination teamed with a classic custard filling, is the only way you should be eating custard creams from here on.”

This comes from her book One Bake, Two Ways – where a plant-based recipe sits next to a non-vegan version.

“For me, these biscuits taste better the plant-based way,” Bhogal notes.

“The texture, the finish and the snap are incomparable, so this recipe for me would always be my go-to, out of the two.”

Plant-based chai custard creams

Makes: 24

Ingredients:

275g plant-based unsalted butter, room temperature

115g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

100g custard powder

¾ tbsp chai spice mix

For the custard buttercream:

75g plant-based unsalted butter, room temperature

110g icing sugar, sifted

40g custard powder

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tbsp soy milk

2 baking trays, lined

Method:

1. For the biscuit dough, add the butter and sugar to a bowl and cream together for five minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.

(Pavilion Books/PA) (Pavilion Books)

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, custard powder and chai spice mix using a balloon whisk. Add the spiced flour to the butter and mix until just combined.

3. Lightly flour your worktop and turn out the dough. Use your hands to work the dough and bring it all together once it is soft and smooth. Roughly mould the dough into a disc and press down gently to flatten before wrapping tightly in clingfilm. Pop it in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.

4. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured silicone mat or sheet of greaseproof paper to about four millimetres thick. Using the cutter of your choice, stamp out the biscuits, and add to the prepared baking trays. Any surplus dough is good to be re-rolled twice, but after this, the dough will begin to toughen, so be savvy with your dough cutting!

5. Place the trays in the freezer to set for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 165C fan/185C/gas mark 5.

6. While you are waiting for the biscuits to set, make the custard buttercream. Add all the ingredients, except the soy milk, to a bowl. Use an electric hand whisk or a balloon whisk to combine until smooth. Add the splash of milk at the end to loosen the buttercream, then transfer it to a piping bag.

7. Once the biscuits have set, pop one tray into the oven and bake for 13 minutes until lightly golden. Repeat with the second tray. Baking them separately just ensures an even bake across both batches.

8. Leave the biscuits to set and harden on the trays for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

9. When they are completely cool, pipe the custard buttercream onto one biscuit, leaving a slight border around the sides, before sandwiching with another biscuit. Gently press together so the filling comes to the edges. Repeat for all remaining biscuits and filling.

10. I like these once they have firmed up a little, so I pop my finished biscuits in the fridge for about 30 minutes before dunking and demolishing. Keep these stored with no lid on, to keep that biscuit snap and freshness at its peak.

‘One Bake, Two Ways: 50 Crowd-Pleasing Bakes With An All-Plant Option Every Time’ by Ruby Bhogal (Pavilion Books, £26).