The family and I took ourselves out to do a stretch of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, starting at picturesque Fernvale. In need of sustenance, I gambled on a rather polarising French vanilla slice from the old bakery in the centre of town. With lots of other delightful looking cakes and slices, there was also a pink-topped traditional variant that looked less appealing, so settled on the specimen pictured.

With two clearly defined layers of heavy-set custard and fresh cream, it was unusual to be missing a top layer of pastry. Relying solely on the bottom layer to hold on to its crunch is a risky manoeuvre, but it proved to be more than adequate at performing its job. The pastry was fine, nothing special. As too was the jelly-like custard; somewhat custard flavoured but lacking texture and richness. The cream and chocolate shavings were the real hero. At $7.50, I don’t think the cost is unreasonable for the sizes portion. Think I will grab a curry pie next time instead!

My year long hiatus from the hunt came to an abrupt end when I visited Flow Cafe. This cafe was recommended to me by a follower due to its reputation in the northern suburbs as having a rather good house-made vanilla slice. So I took out a slice and ate it shortly later, with a wooden fork provided to me by the friendly server.

Costing a reasonable $6.50, the portion was neatly assembled with a cube-like proportion and clearly visible mini puffed sheet of dark brown pastry. The custard had a creamy yellow tone and looked fluffy and fresh. The fork was a good choice as I soon found out the custard got very messy when the pastry had pressure applied. All together the custard was light and fluffy but lacked some killer vanilla flavour and richness. The pastry was tidily baked and had a good crunch to it. So overall, a good value for money slice that’s worthy of a punt if passing though.

I finally got around to visiting Christian Jacques after a couple of failed attempts at parking some time ago. I waited patiently in line and used this as an opportunity to size up the menu. I had to have some serious self control when I finally got to ordering as I wanted pretty much one of everything. As it happened, I picked up some breakfast items for the next day in the shape of an almond croissant, a pain au chocolat, a salted caramel eclair and a chouquette for my visiting mum. Needless to say breakfast the next day was out of this world.

A short time later I strolled down to the Brisbane River and basked in the sun, admiring the view under the Storey Bridge of my artisanal tri-layered mille-fueille styled slice. After unwrapping the acetate I was able to sample some of the piped custard, with an authentic, rich, buttery taste, but devilishly airy in consistency. The ratio of custard to pastry was very well distributed, with large piped blobs keeping the shortbread style pastry sheets together in place. The pastry was some of the best I’ve ever had. It didn’t resemble pastry like most bakeries offer with a vanilla slice, it really was a work of art. Baked similarly to a croissant, with visible laminations, but firm, flaky but light as a feather all at once. Outstanding.

Although not cheap, I am a firm believer in the ‘You get what you pay for’ moto. My breakfast the following day further illustrated the point, with every single item similarly excellent in size, taste and price. I’d highly recommended the pain au chocolat, not a chocolate croissant as most people confuse, but chocolate bread, with custard and chocolate chips throughout. Utterly delicious.

With a new bakery opening close to home it was rude not to take a peek and sample some of their produce. Flourish replaced a rather average franchise and looks like the real deal. Their presentation and overall variety of baked goods, both sweet and savoury is very appealing. It took me a while to notice they were actually selling vanilla slices due to the way they were presented in the cabinet (on its side and piped in cream) but eventually I was on my way home with said slice in bag, trying not to smoosh it in transit.

$6.90 is a a higher than average price point for a vanilla slice presented in a slightly more fanciful way, but I was hopeful of some good ingredients and flavours. Unfortunately I was slightly let down by the overall taste of the custard and the pastry really wasn’t anything to write home about. Though fresh and straight forward to cut and eat in chunks, the pastry was not caramelised or buttery. The custard too was lacking a richness and was quite pedestrian for a seemingly high end bakery. The whipped cream with tempered chocolate chard was a nice touch but was trying to cover up a rather average slice beneath. Certainly not a bad vanilla slice by any stretch, but it promised much more. I’d recommend the curry pie.

The family and I visited Rusty’s Market for the morning just prior to Christmas and had a good mooch around. I was happy to find Frenchie’s Patisserie nestled in amongst the hustle and bustle of the fresh food and gift stalls, so promptly made my purchase and continued to stroll around the market. I ate the slice with a wooden fork and this proved to be a sound method.

The pastry was somewhat easy to break through with the utensil, though was not quite as thin and crisp as I was expecting. It was fresh but not caramelised and golden brown. The custard was heavily whipped and super airy, with a rich buttery vanilla taste which was delicious but very filling by the end. The icing topped sheet was well constructed and the fine layer of fondant was sweet and had a delicate chocolate aftertaste.

For the hefty price tag, I’m pleased I sampled this one. It was memorable for the experience of navigating the market with the box in hand and the fork in the mouth. The slice would come recommended for portion size and overall quality of the custard.

For the first time in ages I was able to locate a bakery worthy of a visit whilst out and about running errands. I popped into Mum’s Bakehouse mid morning and it was popular with local tradies buying up for morning tea. I took out one of their vanilla slices and opened it in the car outside.

My first judgement came when flipping the slice on to its side, the pastry though a good brown colour looked thick and bulky. After taking an even bite through all layers I assessed that the pastry was not going to get finished as it was far too tough and unnecessarily filling. The custard was delivered with the top layer of pastry with additional sugar content and was perfectly serviceable. It was creamy, a thick but not overly set consistency and had decent vanilla flavour. I completed my assignment with the bottom layer of pastry almost untouched and a beard full of dusted sugar. Worthy of a sample, but not particularly memorable.

After all of these years of vanilla slice blogging I’d yet to come across an authentic Kremsnite - the Polish variation of my favourite pastry.
I jumped at the chance to pop into Fig and Sparrow Cafe whilst out for the day in Caloundra. The slice looked good at first glance, but sold for a whopping $8.90 and was dubiously labelled as gluten free. With this in mind I wasn’t entirely sure how this thing would hold up overall.

Five short minutes later I pulled up by the beach and took at the slice to devour. I opted to sample the custard and cream first then the pastry last. I was pleasantly surprised how tasty the custard was and it appeared to have a zesty citrus flavour, reminiscent of but certainly not as pronounced as a lemon curd taste. The cream was sweet, creamy and simple, but very welcome. The two filling layers ended up being the only part I ate as I found the pastry thick, tough and tasteless so didn’t really want to consume it. I’m not sure if the lemon flavour is traditional or their own interpretation of the Polish slice, or indeed if the pastry would ordinarily be made gluten free, so a slightly mixed result this time.

I arrived at work only to find a white paper bag with this cheeky vanilla slice waiting for me. My kind colleague had popped to the shops on the way and figured I had best try out the Yeronga Bakery’s offering. With such a kind gesture I couldn’t pass up the chance and so I smashed it during morning tea without hesitation.

When taking it out of the bag I wasn’t too optimistic about the overall quality of pastry and custard, though the thick, buttery passionfruit icing looked good. As per my predictions the pastry was close to being soggy from the moisture, and the custard very watery and set much like a jelly. There wasn’t a great deal of taste to comment on except for the passionfruit. Thankfully the aftertaste was mainly of the icing as it made quite the mess on my fingertips, a fairly typical Aussie vanilla slice in many people’s eyes, but I’m sure there must be better specimens out there….bring them all to me!

Another pit stop travelling down to The Gold Coast led me to Ormeau. Amongst the shops I found Oven Fresh Bakery with what seemingly looked like some docent looking baked goods. Leaving with just my vanilla slice I ate the block at the car.

Sometimes this manoeuvre leads to messy custard spillage and dusty flakey pastry flurries but this slice was built very robustly. With thick layers of Joe average, somewhat soft pastry, the custard had no chance to squeeze out and make a mess. The custard itself was very plain, almost tasteless and on the thick side The icing lacked finesse and the chocolate really was the only aftertaste. Not great, but by no means the worst!

In unknown surrounds running some errands, I decided to try my luck with a bakery selling a vanilla slice. I came across All Things Sweet Bakery, tucked into a residential area slightly off the beaten track in Lawton. To my surprise they offered a vast amount of options for gluten and dairy free goods which was great news for my daughter who I had in tow. Needless to say, the French vanilla slice was actually a gluten free variant, so I purchased one of these and a vegan cup cake for my girl.

I was dubious about how the gluten free aspect might affect the pastry, but to be honest it was quite normal in its makeup. It had just enough rigidity to handle being picked up with the heavy and sloppy filling. The custard was tasty, like that of a pudding mix custard, but less synthetic in flavour. It was cold, creamy and sweet. The fondant icing was excellently sticky and well decorated with chocolate. My daughter loved her vanilla cupcake, so all up we both left satisfied.

Heading away from the Gold Coast I called in at Oxenford Bakery to sort out some unfinished business. The last time I attempted to grab a vanilla slice from there they were closed, so thought it best to try again.

A standard vanilla slice with bright yellow custard and white fluffy icing sat next to a more sophisticated and less neon French vanilla, making my choice for ordering very simple. The French vanilla slice was double stacked and had a decorative fondant on top. The custard looked much creamier and less set than its counterpart, so I was pleased to find it just so and with a sweet and distinct vanilla taste. The pastry, though pale in its colour was rigid enough in its construction to allow for picking up and taking of large bites with little mess. The icing was excellent and although slightly thicker than needed it was a good addition to the ratios of custard and pastry. It also gave me sticky finger prints when I was finished to have to sort out!

Mid twenties, sunny and whale migration season - a good day to visit Byron Bay. After a slow run in traffic I needed to refuel before hitting the sights. The family and I called into Sunday Sustainable Bakery who pride themselves on reducing food miles that go into their menu. We sat outside and enjoyed the sun with a large mug of coffee each, a vanilla slice for me and Mrs B ate a rather delicious looking chocolate babka.

Firstly the vanilla slice was labelled as “famous”, though it was only coincidental that I found this place, and was rather large. The pastry was beautifully dark and looked rustic and flakey. I clearly had the corner piece as the edge was rounded and somewhat air-affected. Nonetheless I sank my fork into the slice and was staggered by the consistency of the custard. It resembled a baked cheesecake or even a slab of clotted cream. It was heavy - very heavy. When combined with the more savoury pastry layers and hint of dusted sugar it worked well, but I’d argue that a portion half of this size would suffice for your average vanilla slice consumer. I detected a hint of coffee in the custard too but the waitress denied that claim. In reality i couldn’t finish this one and left a few mouthfuls of the heavy filing behind. The pastry could have been better if slightly more crunchy, but was the hero if the dish. A nice vibe and reasonably priced bakery style cafe.

Greenwood and Harvey are located just off the food court and opposite the Lego store inside Chermside. I found out that small brightly coloured bricks come in plastic and custard varieties according to this bakery.

The bakery is well presented and has lots of lovely goodies to choose from in their displays. They give the illusion of baking and replenishing stock as it sells, but I’m certain that wasn’t the case with my vanilla slice (more like taken out of a fridge). Another sneaky trick is the lack of prices next to their items, so by the time I’d ordered it was too late and I reluctantly spent nearly $9 on a tiny but well crafted slice. Annoyingly, with my first mouthful I felt duped. Not only was the pastry starting to go slightly soft (although seemingly well baked initially), but the custard was much too firm and quite average. The taste was pleasant enough, especially when eaten with the soft fondant icing, which had more of a ganache texture. The price point really is insane with this, beyond a rip off in fact. Maybe just a coffee next time!

A quick pit stop on the way to Dreamworld for morning tea took me to the Arndale shopping precinct. With the Bakery and Patisserie looking promising I selected a curry pie and French vanilla slice for myself and a salted caramel macaron for Mrs B. It must be noted that the bakery had some yummy looking items, including some decadent eclairs and also a larger, more traditional vanilla slice, advertised as a custard slice and dusted with icing sugar. With my purchases I headed back to the car to eat in record time.

The pie was a curry bomb of intensely hot (molten) curried beef filling that oozed everywhere. It was thoroughly delicious but somewhat of a hazard to eat in a paper bag. It set me up well to rip open the bag for the French vanilla slice that promised so much Judging by the love that had been put into piping the thick balls of custard filling and icing the top layer in fondant and chocolate. However, other than it’s very reasonable price and generous proportions it was a little disappointing. The pastry was thicker and more dry than fine, buttery and flakey. It had been baked unevenly and was quite brown in places, but pale in others and inconsistent in its thickness. The custard, too, looked like an excellent colour and consistency, but in reality was more firmly set and lacking in rich creamy vanilla flavour than I was expecting. The fondant was well patterned, but with my selection of custard slice Vs French vanilla slice being made solely on the icing I wish I had gone for the other option! It was perfectly fine but nothing memorable.

Though the French vanilla slice may not be one of the best, there is no doubt I will dive into the Arndale Bakery again for another one of their curry pies, and next time the custard (vanilla) slice. On a side note Mrs B wasn’t really able to taste the caramel flavour in the macaron either.

A long-awaited return to one of my all time favourite vanilla slice bakeries on The Sunshine Coast, nearly 4 years later. On the way to Eumundi for the day I seized the opportunity for a short detour to try my luck with Dutchy’s. I had excellent memories of my visit last time around, with the 9.75/10 rated review from September 2019 found here:
http://byronsvanillasliceblog.weebly.com/snot-blog/dutchys-bakehouse-sippy-downs-qld

Selling at only thirty cents more than in 2019, the slice looked mostly the same in its makeup though the bakery itself had aged a little in its appearance. The slice handled quite well, but it was apparent that the pastry was lacking some of its freshly baked crunch and things might have been made and assembled the night before. The half custard, half cream combo was still a winning ratio, though the melted chocolate layers didn’t seem as rich and decadent as they did the first time around. If I had reviewed this exact slice and experience it wouldn’t have scored so highly, but nonetheless a worthwhile revisit, and probably not my last.

I’ve had a few more vanilla slices than usual recently, being on holiday, so to get a recommendation from a friend of a bakery in close proximity to my scheduled events, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for another. The tipster in question is also a food and drink connoisseur much like myself but was hesitant of the perceived quality of this snot block. Low and behold, here are my findings, and overall he can rest assured (this time).

Firstly it’s a rarity to part with such little cash for a baked good these days so I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the price for this. Secondly the overall freshness and quality, even quite late in the day, was still very good. So if this slice was being rated solely on value for money it would be almost perfect. However in the other categories it doesn’t rate quite a high, though still commendable. The pastry was baked well, golden and crisp, though a little thick so not overly flakey. It served well as a custard delivery system with minimal effort or mess. Hard to pinpoint exactly, but I felt the pastry was quite salty, but when eaten with all components it was well balanced. The custard gave little resistance to being picked up, sliced and chowed down on. Though creamy and packed with vanilla flavour the actual viscosity was similar to a baked cheesecake.

Overall a very sound recommendation and I’d be keen to pop back in to try some of their other items. Keep the tips coming!

I love a mooch around Rocklea market at the weekend, but I have never left with a vanilla slice. Today I was fortunate enough to visit quite early and I noticed that The Greek Cuzina still had a few servings of galaktoboureko left for sale. I threw my money their way and promptly sat down to devour the lesser seen but equally as satisfying Greek vanilla slice.

My first impressions were that $5 was very reasonable for the portion size and having made a few of these myself, I know that the ingredients are quite pricey in comparison to the average snot block. Unfortunately the pastry had gone into full moist mode from the absorption of the lemon syrup, so texturally it wasn’t crisp and delicate but did at least taste nice and sweet. The baked custard was rather good, though again not quite as eggy as ones I’ve had in the past, therefore making it a little less rich overall.

Cosmos Cafe is a no frills little establishment right in the thick of the South Bank parklands. In need of a coffee and a sit down after letting the kids loose in the park and paddle in the lagoon I grabbed a coffee and a now regretful impulse purchase of an average but quite pricey vanilla slice. I was fully expecting the slice to be supplier made and sold, but I was really put off by the shoddiness of the quality and mark up Cosmos have here. The custard was noticeably frozen, with parts containing ice crystals and the pastry destroyed by moisture content. At this price I really should have taken it back and got a refund, but to be honest I was worried about the mob of streetwise ibis jumping on my table and taking my coffee. Had it not been for the glossy white icing I would have found this purchase too risky. Lesson learned.

With the drive to Australia Zoo presenting an opportunity for a pit stop I couldn’t resist calling in at the curb side strip in the dusty Glasshouse Mountains. Glasshouse Grind are a pretty unassuming outfit, only a red sign indicate from the main road of their baked goods for sale.

After ordering a coffee and a vanilla slice I sat outside and sampled the vanilla slice. Mrs B feasted on a somewhat lacklustre curried chicken pie, but she was so hungry anything would have done. The vanilla slice promised a sweet passionfruit flavour with the hint of a seed buried in the fondant, however subtle would even be too strong in it’s description. Overall the slice was not awful but also not great. It’s custard filling was smooth and sweet, but was otherwise average, and the pastry starting to soften with moisture, though not soggy. I opted to eat this one with my fingers, and ended up with sticky fondant fingers, which made the experience worth the stop.

I couldn’t walk through The Kitchens area of Robina Town Centre without a vanilla slice hunt.

Low and behold I stumbled upon Giardino’s selling Italian inspired cakes and gelato. Their Italian vanilla slice (more commonly known as Diplomatica) not only looked well presented and fresh but also not ridiculously priced. Moments later I took it out of the bag and consumed with the assistance of a biodegradable fork.

The ratio of sponge to two layers of custard was pleasing, ensuring the slice was not too dry or too spongy but just the right combination of soft, hard, sweet and savoury. The pastry was indeed fresh and very well baked, thinly layered but very straight forward to break with the fork. The bottom layer, though hidden with mounds of custard was also excellently firm. Sadly the custard lacked real richness and a punch of vanilla, but was at least creamy and fluffy. The sponge had me intrigued, as although I had never eaten a diplomatica I knew of their makeup. The sponge itself was light, fluffy and had a secret ingredient that I initially guessed to have been nutmeg, but after further investigation the sponge layer typically has lemon zest and alcohol. I’m pretty certain this slice was alcohol free but I’m still not clear as to the mystery ingredient on the underside of the sponge.

Overall a well priced and hefty portion of slice, though the actual flavour was slightly muted for me.

With a kids party in unfamiliar parts I opted for a vanilla slice hunt at it’s conclusion. Finding a few good options in neighbouring suburbs I settled on the swanky looking Darvella Patisserie. Turning up just after midday I was pleased to still find a handful of Mille-feuille still available to buy.

Upon taking it home I immediately noticed the quality of the golden flaky pastry, in beautifully pronounced layers of buttery goodness. Somewhat disappointingly the piped crème patissiere lacked a richness to it, and although it was as light as air and mildly sweet I felt it was just wide of the mark. The option to dust the tri-layer offering in a supposedly fancy half and half pattern didn’t do much for me. I’d rather have had a full dusting or better still a thin layer of artisanal decorated fondant. Not over the top expensive, but certainly room for improvement with the execution.

After a dry spell of late I poked my nose into Milton Artisan Bakehouse and decided to give their slightly neon yellow vanilla slice a chance. Dubious about the overall quality I wasn’t really expecting a great deal, but in actual fact the outcome was probably a little better than expected.

The vanilla slice did not look like it’s been made by an artisan, but is more in keeping with the standard bakery offering with a thick layer of shiny white fondant and slap-dash chocolate drizzle. The slice looked as though it had been refrigerated for a little hole due to the apparent moisture, but thankfully the pastry had just enough bite to hold its rigidity for pickup. Quite thick and pale the pastry was largely forgettable but I was satisfied by the overall texture and vanilla flavour of the custard despite its looks. The icing was pleasant enough, thick and sweet but the distribution of the chocolate left a lot to be desired. Worthy of a sample but unlikely to be revisited.

At an unscheduled stop in Redbank, it was approaching morning tea so therefore I went in search of my customary snot block. I successfully found Redbank Bakehouse, a well presented, good all round establishment filled to the brim with delicious looking cakes, slices and pies. I was pleased to see the handsome, well constructed slabs of vanilla slice so immediately purchased one and went to eat it nearby.

With a wooden fork for assistance I was overjoyed to crunch through the layers of pastry with relative ease and sample mouthfuls of all elements. The pastry was very well baked, with even the middle layer proving resistant to moisture. The mounds of whipped creamy custard inevitability made a mess in the bag but was rather good, but very filling. This bakery have their recipe and quantities very well set up. Three wafer thin, crispy layers of tightly baked pastry and a generous helping of two layers of decent quality vanilla custard is a good mix in anyones book. At $5 it’s excellent value, but I highly recommend eating with a fork as I cannot imagine how messy this would have been if picked up,