Hot Cross Bun Custard Squares

Keeping the hot cross buns in one large block, cut the whole slab in half horizontally. Put the lower halves into a cling film-lined dish that holds them snugly. If you don’t have a small enough dish, use strips of cardboard propped up with weights to keep the filling in place.

Place 250ml of the milk in a saucepan, along with the cream, vanilla paste, orange strips, cinnamon, and caster sugar. Heat together until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve to catch the orange peel, then return to the saucepan.

In a bowl, whisk the cornflour with the remaining 50ml cold milk. Add the egg yolks and whisk well, then whisk into the hot milk mix and cook for 1-2 minutes until smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir through the butter. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the base of the buns. Place the top halves of the hot cross buns on the top, wrap tightly in clingfilm, then put into the fridge for at least 3 hours, but ideally overnight.

If you wish to make the glaze, put the icing sugar, butter, and vanilla in a bowl and whisk in enough hot water until you have a smooth glaze that you can drizzle. Unwrap the buns, drizzle with the glaze, and put back into the fridge for a further 15 minutes, or until the glaze has set.

Once the buns have set, use a hot knife to cut them into portions.