There’s nothing ‘vanilla’ about this recipe collection. These beautiful vanilla recipes for cakes, slices and cookies are all packed full of flavour and are wonderfully sweet. We’ve also got homemade desserts like panna cotta, creme brulee and citrus-spiced tarts, all with the addition of beautifully fragrant vanilla. You’ll find a homemade ice-cream recipe, plus some lovely French-style macaroons for morning tea. Take a flick through and see what catches your attention…
Vanilla slice
Custard tart
Vanilla flan with roasted cherries
Air fryer basic vanilla butter cookies
Vanilla bean crumpets
Panna cotta lamingtons
Chunky fig and vanilla jam
Vanilla custard pie
Vanilla bean custard
How to make crème brûlée
Vanilla bean ice-cream
Vanilla bean thins
Easy vanilla cupcakes
Basic vanilla buttercake
Vanilla cake with vanilla bean icing
Vanilla madeleines with lemon glaze icing
Rhubarb and vanilla baked custard
Impossible pie
Baked custard
Galaktoboureko (Greek custard pie)
Vanilla cheesecake slice
Easy vanilla cupcakes
Crème anglaise
Vanilla and hazelnut strawberry galette
Cherry, cinnamon and vanilla jam
Cheat’s vanilla slice
Vanilla panna cotta with berry compote
Chunky quince, rosè and vanilla preserve
Raspberry and vanilla yoghurt ice-blocks
Raspberry and vanilla cupcakes
Vanilla cinnamon shortbread
Apricot and vanilla jam
Vanilla yo-yos with raspberry butter cream
Raspberry and vanilla crumble slice
Vanilla strawberry swirl macarons
Vanilla butter cake
Vanilla patty cakes with glacé icing
Vanilla spice cheesecake
Vanilla and raspberry crème brûlée tarts
Vanilla bean scones
Blueberry cake with vanilla syrup
Vanilla rice pudding
Steamed vanilla custard cups
Rhubarb and vanilla crumble cake
Peach & vanilla yoghurt fools
How to use vanilla beans
There are a couple of things you can do, though, to get the most bang for your buck, as our Test Kitchen experts show.
When you’re buying vanilla beans, opt for plump ones as they tend to have more flavour.
Start by flattening the bean with your fingers then, with a short, sharp knife, cut horizontally along the bean.
Use the tip of the knife, blunt side down, to remove the seeds, running it from the tip to the end.
If you’re infusing a liquid (like in milk, for an apple crunch pie with vanilla custard) add the seeds and the bean to the pan.
After cooking, though, don’t throw the bean away; you can add it to a jar of sugar, where it will continue to infuse for a deliciously fragrant vanilla sugar that you can use in vanilla strawberry swirl macarons.