11 vanilla custard recipes

Raisin pecan bread pudding loaded with fruit cocktail and a vanilla-butternut custard. A nostalgic Southern bread pudding that uses up stale bread in 90 minutes.

Fresh blueberry pie with a sour cream custard filling, vanilla, and a pecan streusel topping. Creamy, fruity, and crunchy in every slice.

Hazelnut cherry tart with a ground hazelnut pastry crust, vanilla custard filling set with gelatin, and canned cherries glazed in a rum-spiked cherry syrup topping.

Bolognese sponge cake layered with vanilla custard and rum, frosted in coffee zabaglione buttercream, then crowned with chocolate-dipped almonds and walnut sides. From Il Cantoncino restaurant in Bologna.

Deep-dish pear pie with Anjou pears in a creamy yogurt custard filling, topped with a cinnamon streusel crumb. Nutmeg and vanilla round out this lighter take on a fruit pie.

Brown butter blackberry charlotte with ladyfingers, eggs, and vanilla baked until crusty on top and custard-smooth inside. A French-style dessert that freezes beautifully for up to 4 months.

Overnight baked French toast layered with cinnamon apples. Thick bread slices soaked in vanilla custard, topped with spiced apple slices and a buttery cinnamon sugar crust that bakes golden.

A three-layer chocolate cake with vanilla custard filling and rich chocolate buttercream frosting. Made from scratch with real unsweetened chocolate and whipped egg whites for a light crumb.

A show-stopping banana pudding layered with crushed and whole Oreo cookies, homemade vanilla custard, sliced bananas, and a golden meringue topping. Made from scratch with a dozen egg yolks.

Garden-fresh sweet potato pie with a rich buttermilk custard filling, two sticks of butter, and pure vanilla. No spices needed when the sweet potatoes do all the talking. Baked low and slow, makes two pies.

Wartime impossible pie from South London with one batter that splits into crust, custard, and filling as it bakes. Use it sweet with coconut and vanilla, or savoury with canned tuna or salmon and frozen vegetables. Pantry magic.