Custard cream pancakes

Ingredients

• 300ml (10 fl oz) milk (for custard)
• 3 egg yolks
• 60g (2 oz) caster sugar (for custard)
• 50g (1.8 oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 vanilla bean
• 180g (6.3 oz) cake flour
• 1.5g (1/4 tsp) baking powder
• 1.5g (1/4 tsp) salt
• 30g (1 oz) caster sugar (for batter)
• 200ml (8 fl oz) milk (for batter)
• 40g (1.4 oz) butter, melted and cooled
• 2 whole eggs (for batter)
• spray oil for cooking

Directions

1. Custard
2. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it over medium heat without letting it boil.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar until light yellow and slightly airy. Gradually whisk in the cornflour until smooth.
4. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife, and add the seeds to the hot milk. Whisk well.
5. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking continuously to prevent curdling. Once combined, return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover with cling film (making sure it touches the surface), and refrigerate to cool completely, about 35-40 minutes.
6. Pancake batter
7. In a bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and caster sugar. Whisk thoroughly and make a well in the centre.
8. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking until almost smooth. Be careful not to overmix.
9. Cook your pancakes
10. Lightly grease a pan with spray oil and heat over medium. If using a pan with egg moulds, fill the moulds halfway with batter, using a small tool like a cocktail muddler to push the batter up the sides to form a hollow centre. For a regular pan, cook the pancakes until golden on both sides.
11. Fill each pancake with the chilled custard and top with another pancake. Dusting with icing sugar is optional, as the custard already adds a delightful sweetness.