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,

In somewhat of a rarity, having been out for lunch nearby, I wanted something sweet to finish before heading home. With Sweeties in eyeshot I decided to take a punt on their half decent looking vanilla slice. Selling weeny portions at $4.50 seemed quite steep but I wasn’t prepared to buy anything else other than a snot block.

Sweeties have clearly put a lot of effort into their branding, aesthetic and user experience, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for their recipe and overall taste of their vanilla slices. I was let down by the sweet, but tangy taste of the custard filling, texturally OK, but synthetic tasting and lacking a richness you get from whipped cream and butter. The pastry too was very poor. Clearly underbaked in the first place, the sheets were heavily clumped and unable to be penetrated with cutlery, so the pastry became redundant. The icing was also wide of the mark and had a peculiar starchy taste. This was also left behind. In essence I paid $4.50 for a nice box and a few spoonfuls of below average custard, so not great.

With a random stop at the Coomera Westfield it wasn’t my intention to get a vanilla slice, however after walking past Signature Cafe I couldn’t resist a passionfruit-topped slab. I was somewhat shocked at the price of the item, at a whopping $7.20 for a slice that closely resembled the one I had from Muffin Break a few months back. It wouldn’t surprise me if most items were ore-purchased and not baked in-house, but still, that is a big mark up.

The vanilla slice itself was tasty enough. I’m a sucker for passionfruit icing so was pleased at the generous amounts of passionfruit content, giving the custard and pastry a good overall balance of sweetness. The custard sadly was quite well set, though creamy and with vanilla undertones. The pastry however was a day old, indicating batch purchasing from a supplier. Nonetheless I sat and enjoyed the slice in relative peace while Mrs B browsed the shops for a little while and was quite full as a result.

My final vanilla slice of my week away, heading home and driving through Howard I popped into the local bakery. I went in search of a Dutch vanilla slice I’d seen them sell last year, but left with the rather average passionfruit iced specimen seen below instead.

To look at this one I’d have expected a reasonable product, maybe a 6/10 kind of slice, but instead I was left very disappointed. The pastry layers were hard, rubbery and unable to penetrate with a fork. After a few attempts I gave up with the pastry as it offered nothing with taste either. Instead, I forked out the heavily set custard and the odd piece of passionfruit icing. This in all honesty was not that great, but I hate waste. The custard was very well set and somewhat slimy in its texture. The flavour was that of milk rather than cream and lacked a rich custard taste. The icing was also underwhelming, with only a slight hint of passionfruit running through.

Can’t win ‘em all.

I had called into Boyne Bakery the day before mid-afternoon only to find a well stocked display of well presented cakes, slices and pastries…all except a sold out vanilla slice section. The lady serving was very friendly and stated they I had to be up early to get mine, so the very next day I called in around 9am and got my reward.

I was impressed by the size of these things, around twice the size of your average bakery vanilla slice and obvious effort is made to decorate for visual appeal. After handing over my money I took the slice home and shared it with Mrs B. We were both unsure about the texture and overall flavour of the custard. Though a good colour and not offensive, it was lacking a rich creaminess and seemed thickened with icing sugar as I was very sticky. The pastry was the real hero of this offering; firm, golden brown and easy to break through with a fork. The decorative top layer was a little disappointing and unsurprisingly too thick and gummy. The chocolate too wasn’t anything special.

A very well sized, fresh vanilla slice that in no uncertain terms gives you what’s needed, but as a big fan of quality custard, this one was just wide of the mark. I said I’d be back to get some dairy free doughnuts for my kids next time.

Beefy’s are a great Queensland franchise. I really enjoy grabbing a savoury pie when on the road. This road trip was no different. Calling into Kybong I sought the opportunity for a curried steak pie, a vanilla slice and an iced coffee from McDonalds.

With my pie suitably washed down by my iced coffee I attempted a vanilla slice pickup. I soon found it to be passed it’s peak freshness and the pastry was too flexible. Instead I opted for a fork and dived in, knowing time was of the essence. With the pastry unable to be cut with the fork
I tore it away from the custard and ate all the layers separately, leaving the passionfruit iced top section for last. The custard Itself was pretty workable, sweet and thick, though nothing mind-blowing amazing. The final few mouthfuls consisted of soggy pastry with a very sweet, almost synthetic tasting passionfruit. I enjoyed the flavour of the pastry against the sweetness of the icing and the small amount of decorated chocolate left a notable aftertaste. A worthy stop and good sugar hit when driving long distances. Amazing pie as always.

Buttery Treats has recently opened in the Arana Hills Plaza, so I inspected their selection and was pleased to see hefty slabs of vanilla slice for sale. Taking my slice outside I was pleased to be able to pick up the block trouble free thanks to some fairly robust pastry layers. Upon my first bite it was evident that the pastry has not just come out of the oven but it held up to the task well enough and provided a little crunch. The custard held firm in the sandwich due to it’s set consistency, but was actually sweet, creamy and had a nice vanilla taste. The icing with powdered chocolate powder didn’t really add a great deal to the slice as it was quite well balanced already, but if I had my choice I would always take an iced top layer over dusted icing sugar any day of the week.

With the worm turning heading from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, I called into Yatala to finally have one of their famous pies…a curry one of course. After being massively impressed with my savoury choice I was dubious about how my French vanilla slice would look after my blind folded drive-thru purchase.

My curry pie was gigantic, freshly baked and the pastry outstanding flakey. The curry filling was delicious, well balanced and a perfect temperature to devour without getting third degree burns. My French vanilla slice however was an utter mess. A horizontal slab of double custard sandwiched between raw, anaemic pastry sheets. After a nibble I decided to not subject myself to the pastry, but instead decided to use a disposable fork to eat the custard and cream. Unusually the sweetened whipped cream layer was presented as a topping (instead of icing I suppose) and was probably the best element to the slice, and was at least fresh, sweet and the right texture. The custard was very forgettable and lacked much flavour in all honesty.

No doubt I will be back for a pie in the near future, but the French vanilla slices will be avoided at all costs.

I’ve avoided dozens of vanilla slices from numerous Muffin Break franchises over the years due to their rather changeable and unpredictable appearances. However when I walked past the one in Indooroopilly’s food court I felt that this one was worth the gamble. The portion sizes looked large, the custard creamy and the pastry sheets distinguishable and well baked with a hint of passionfruit in the icing it was too tempting to resist.

After the $5.80 purchase I sat and ate the slice on its paper plate with a wooden fork. The custard and sweet butter icing were a dream to cut through but the pastry proved stubborn, indicating it had not been baked freshly this morning. Nonetheless, the slice was a lot better than expected; creamy, sweet with definite vanilla flavour and thankfully the thick layer of passionfruit icing was a lot more firm than I guessed. I’m certainly not a fan of soft butter icing on a snot block. The pastry itself tasted good, with well flaked sheets, though not crispy fresh as previously mentioned. Overall good value for money with some decent ingredients and it certainly satisfied my sweet tooth for a few hours.

I spent a few days on holiday in Gympie, so did some research in to bakeries in the nearby surroundings. With Imbil Town popping up in a number of searches for their vanilla slices I took a 25 minute drive early one morning. I arrived in town to a very quiet high street but with the bakery clearly doing decent business. I took away one of their vanilla slices and a salted caramel American style cream donut for Mrs B to snack on later, with both items costing a combined $12.

Both items were above average in size, the donut more than a one person job we later found out. The highly recommended slab of vanilla slice was short in stature but long in length with clearly well crafted pastry layers. It was decorated with a thin layer of dusted icing sugar, but in truth would have benefited from some thin fondant. The pastry was indeed fresh and crispy, easy to cut into bite size pieces and pick up to consume. The pastry allowed for a simple eat of the long, skinny and slightly set layer of custard. For me the custard was the biggest let down of the product. Though adequately fine and tasty enough it was not soft, light and decadent enough for me in comparison to other highly recommend snot blocks I’ve had in my time.

It would have been good to have a half size portion for $3, that would be excellent value for money. On a side note, the donut was everything you would want from an American donut - ceamy, sweet and doughy!

New Farm Deli had popped on to my radar a little while ago so I decided a visit was in order. Whilst the kids were busy in the nearby park I strolled over to the village and got myself a takeaway vanilla slice. Baked in large baking trays the overall vibe reminded me of Brunetti in Melbourne with the snot block of Sorrento’s famous vanilla slice served to me in a messy heap. This sort of slice is best served in house, on a plate with sharp cutlery. In a takeaway box there is no hope for pickup, just a wooden fork for assistance.

I persisted with the fork and ate my way through the various components individually then as a whole. The custard was excellent; smooth, rich, creamy and packed full of vanilla flavour. The pastry was well baked but very messy. This didn’t have the fine flaky compressed layers of bakery vanilla slices, rather a puffed texture that you tend to see on strudels. It was well baked and buttery and offered some much needed savoury tones to the rich creamy custard. The top layer of pastry contained a dusted icing sugar which had subsided and fallen from the slice in transit so wasn’t really much use.

Overall a tasty slice. For the price I think I would eat this in the cafe next time and enjoy the buzz of the deli with a nice coffee to wash it down with.

Out and about with the kids I popped into Ferny Way Bakery to grab some bread rolls and inspect their custard-based pastries in the hope I might snag something to take to the park with me. Indeed I was in luck. Selling two types of vanilla slice, a rather ropey-looking fluffy pink iced version or the white fondant topped square, it wasn’t a hard decision to make.

With a low price point of just $3.50, in all honesty I wasn’t expecting great things. Whilst this wasn’t great by any stretch, it was actually not bad and proved excellent value for money. The pastry was somewhat thicker than needed and quite pale in its bake, but it held up well with just the right firmness as to not cause a mess when bitten. The custard looked a little gelatinous, but was actually just thickened in viscosity and being cold in the cooled cabinet. It was surprisingly creamy and just the right sweetness against the pastry and icing when beaten all together. White fondant is very common in my old stomping ground of Victoria, but sparse in Queensland I have noticed. It was a welcome surprise to get a simple but well executed layer of icing that gave the slice a nice overall sweetness.

Triple B Bakery on Blackwood Street, Mitchelton was where I chose to get my sugar fix on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Mrs B nipped into some Op shops whilst I got me a V.S.

Selling some more traditional custard and butter icing-topped slices, I was more impressed with the look of the French variation. Given to me sideways in a paper bag, there was no way this thing would stand again unless eaten on a plate. Instead I chose to destroy the bag and attack this wholeheartedly with a wooden fork I had in the car. The pastry looked tough in it’s make-up and tough it was. The fork wouldn’t penetrate the layers and instead I opted to tear it, also tearing the now soggy bag! I soon realised the pastry wasn’t really worth the hassle to try and eat, lacking a rich and buttery taste anyway.

The more enjoyable aspect of this slice was the dual layer cream-based goodness. I took great enjoyment eating both custard and cream and cream and custard simultaneously. The custard was a thick but not set texture, creamy and sweet. Had the slice been just custard it would have also been half decent. The additional layer of cream was very indulgent and without eating the pastry it became quite hard work. I’m not sure how anyone is supposed to eat one of these on the go as with the stiff, unrelenting pastry and volume of filling this thing would be an utter mess.

My Gold Coast vanilla slice adventures took me to Horner’s of Sorrento. This made me think of Sorrento in Victoria’s famous vanilla slice. I see that one get so much talk-up through Twitter and review sites, but this Sorrento in Queensland has a vanilla slice far more superior and at a fraction of the price and tourist queues.

Horner’ s vanilla slice is a monster in size, flavour and value for money. Presentation alone gave me an excellent feeling this would be top drawer. Visible vanilla bean speckles in the custard, dark and defined sheets of pastry and a beautifully executed chocolate and vanilla fondant icing on top of a very generous amount of creamy custard - twice! The custard was not only super creamy but had a beautiful richness to it with vanilla flavour running through. Firm enough to not fall apart when picked up and not too sweet as to highlight the quality of the icing. The pastry was also excellently constructed; firm, dark brown, buttery and as flakey as you could hope, even the (quite often soggy) middle layer. The icing was not only decorative but an essential part of the overall success of this slice. Not just there for presentation, but a delicately fine layer of sweetness and chocolatey after taste to help balance the savoury pastry sheets.

$6.50 is not a cheap price for a vanilla slice by any stretch, but I’ve bought many slices for more and received much less in terms of quality, quantity and satisfaction. Horner’s vanilla slice is a must have and I will be a repeat customer when on the Coast, that you can guarantee..

So here we are, post 400 on the Blog. Not only have I posted 400 reviews across 7 or so so years, it’s worth mentioning many of the slices I’ve reviewed have been revisited or numerous slices eaten from the same place. Take Gustos Bakery in Strathmore for example. I was once a vanilla slice loyalty card holder….twice!

So on to the review…
I’d read that Mudgeeraba Bakery sold extra large old-fashioned vanilla slices at old-fashioned prices. With a choice of pink vanilla or yellow passionfruit flavoured icing I stick to my guns and avoided the pink icing. Selling larger than usual slices for only $2.20 the price alone was worth the visit. You can’t even buy a cucumber for $2.20 these days.

I took the slice to the nearby park and sat at a picnic bench whilst my kids played on the playground. I knew from the get-go the custard looked dubious, and I was correct after my first bite. Though the slice crunched and broke up well, the custard filling lacked any distinguishable flavour, and was in truth more watery than creamy. The pastry was indeed crunchy and fresh, and proved an excellent sugar delivery vessel. The thickish top layer of icing was worthwhile. Though not normally a fan of a butter icing on a vanilla slice, I am a sucker for the flavour of passionfruit and proved sweet against the pastry and flavourless custard. Bites with all components were somewhat rewarding, but the custard in its own is not recommended. As a side note, many of their other items looking tempting.

Being on holiday, Mrs B and I fancied some sweet pastries for breakfast, so I did my research and dashed out in the car. I drove to nearby Robina where an authentic French Patisserie is positioned, selling hand crafted pastries and cakes using traditional French ingredients, by a baker who used to work in France. Has to be good surely!

I returned with our favourites to cut and share in bed with a coffee; an almond croissant filled with frangipane and a chocolate chip torsade, chocked full of custard. They were both delicious and just what was needed to start the day before a trip to Dreamworld with the kids.

After the day out the third instalment, the Mille-fuille, was waiting for me in the fridge. A large specimen, finished with a decorative fondant white icing, I though it best to use a sharp knife to cut it into bite-sized pieces rather than trying to freestyle. The knife hit resistance instantly with the layers of dark brown tightly packed pastry sheets. I’m often disappointed with soft, underbaked and sometimes soggy pastry, but this one was so dark In colour and so well baked some people may consider the sheets to be burnt.

The custard or crème patissiere was a lovely rich colour and had a creamy, smooth texture, but sadly lacked real vanilla flavour. The thick layer of fondant really assisted in balancing the sweet and savoury elements when eaten together and the pattern was beautifully executed. I would argue that a little more filling, especially with real vanilla seeds is needed due to the overpowering savoury nature of the three layers of pastry in this slice. A great patisserie well worth visiting overall.

My local suburb has a new hot spot recently opened. I was informed by my neighbour of their excellent homemade cakes, and that vanilla slices have now started appearing alongside their locally infamous Portuguese tarts. I ducked into Happy days on the way to work at 7.30am and was pleased to start the day with a lump of custardy goodness. Mrs B did the transaction and returned to the car with her eyes watering from the exorbitant price tag. Nonetheless, I’ve always been happy to pay the price for quality. Sadly this was not an $8.50 vanilla slice.

The portion was large and contained some good elements., notably the thick, creamy and eggy custard. It tasted just like authentic custard you’d make at home, although not enough vanilla content. The pastry had a nicely baked colour and was flaky in appearance, but I believe it was baked the day before as it had lost some of its rigidity. The icing was flavoured with passionfruit which was a pleasant surprise and the coconut did nothing for me to be honest.

Not an overwhelming success but also not a lost cause. Perhaps half size portions could be a better solution for half the price?

I’m a big advocate for vegan pastries, with both my kids being allergic to dairy. So since visiting Farine Artisan Bakery in Spring Hill I was surprised to read about their numerous vegan alternatives. This left me wondering if my vanilla slice was in fact a vegan alternative, without realising what I was buying.

The slice itself was well put together, with thought and time put into its structure and decoration, noticeably the dusted pastry crumb edging and vanilla and chocolate patterned fondant icing. Sadly that’s about all the positives I can mention. It’s price was hefty but justifiable if delicious, but it failed in every department once tasted. The golden pastry sheets looked amazing, but were lacking richness and flake making me assume it had been baked with margarine or vegetable oil instead of butter. The custard looked fluffy and creamy but in actual fact was grainy and flavourless, not even distinguishable as pastry cream or anything similar. Even the icing lacked sweetness most bizarrely. With so much pastry used for the decorative element and it’s inherent lack of flavour, I found the whole slice to be quite unrewarding and I didn’t finish it.

I’d be keen to know if this was in fact a vanilla slice as I know it or a vegan alternative. I didn’t see anything to suggest in the store to indicate I was buying a vegan alternative.

The original review can be found here:
http://byronsvanillasliceblog.weebly.com/snot-blog/flour-chocolate-patisserie-northgate-qld

I rated Flour & Chocolate’s triple stacked vanilla slice (Mille-fuille) a 9.5/10 just over a year ago. That day I had waited 20 minutes just to be served so was duly rewarded with rich, buttery goodness. I’m happy to report that 14 months later I had to wait around 2 minutes for service, paid no extra cost for my slice and it tasted every bit as good. I had the satisfaction of taking this one home and eating it at a leisurely pace as to truly savour every creamy, crunchy, indulgent mouthful.

I’ve found it hard matching the quality of this vanilla slice in my time in Brisbane so far, so if they remain this consistent I may have to make my trip to Northgate a regular thing when all else fails.

Recipe sourced from: www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/galaktoboureko/

I wanted a baking challenge so took on a traditional Greek galaktoboureko- a semolina custard pudding, a cross between a vanilla slice and baklava. I’ve reviewed them before on The Blog, but never baked with phyllo pastry prior to this. I was concerned that my syrup was too runny, but was relieved to watch it absorb and set sticky and glossy on the pasty sheets.

I studied the recipe and stuck to the processes as best as possible, with the outcome significantly better than I was expecting for my first attempt. I portioned up 10 slabs of unequal size, and hand delivered 5 to neighbours and friends in need of come freshly baked custardy love, leaving the remaining 5 for Mrs B and I to devour.

We sampled the galaktoboureko both warm, just after it had been baked, and then cold the next day. Surprisingly the pastry on day two was almost as flakey as day 1, with the syrup coating it but not making it soggy. The custard became less eggy in flavour when cold, but the creaminess and semolina texture was probably a little more rich when warm. The syrup, containing infused cinnamon and lemon zest was not just sweet, but really punchy in flavour. I think next time I may even slightly up the quantities of these two ingredients to make them more prominent.

With the phyllo pastry quite fiddly to work with I will aim to encase the pie better next time for easier removal from the tray I may even top with crushed pistachio and freeze dried raspberries for extra decoration and bitterness to cut through the sweetness and richness. A completely worthwhile venture and with all ingredients costing about $10 I would say outstanding value for money. I could easily adapt the recipe to make a dairy free version for the kids too. I will keep you posted,

I called in to an unknown part of the ‘burbs, St Lucia. I stumbled upon The Bread Hound selling their ‘retro’ vanilla slices. Little did I expect the slice to actually resemble something from 20 or so years ago. This thing wouldn’t be out of place in a school canteen, with its heavy set gelatinous custard filling and centimetre thick white fondant icing almost impenetrable. The whole thing was a let down, from price, to portion size, to quality of ingredients, freshness and taste. I can sometimes overlook a jelly-like custard if it’s smooth, creamy and tasty, but I could not overlook the overly thick layers of underbaked, soft and starting to go soggy pastry. They provided nothing to the piece other than a method of pick up. I chose to cut the slice with a knife, only to find the knife became encased in custard like the sword in the stone. Next….