The golden, buttery pastry, the vanilla cream, and that oh-so-sticky passionfruit icing, vanilla slice fans know that this iconic Aussie treat is so much more than just the sum of its parts. From inner-city cake shops to old-school country bakeries, we’ve tracked down the nicest slices in the state. Here are the best vanilla slices in Queensland, as crowned in the delicious. 100.
French-trained chefs Maxime Bournazel and Adrien Marcinowski make Rise’s millefeuille – the original French vanilla slice – daily from scratch. Their deeply caramelised, just bitter pastry is made with French butter, offsetting their sweet creme patissiere made using local ingredients with visible flecks of real vanilla beans and the French liqueur Grand Marnier for a subtle hint of orange. Sanctuary Cove and Hamilton; risebakery.com.au.
Thick vanilla custard made with free-range eggs gently wobbles between layers of richly caramelised, crumbly, flaky pastry in this take on a classic French mille-feuille. The bakery uses so much butter in its pastry it becomes sensationally short, almost like a biscuit. As well as regular size, the vanilla slice can be custom-ordered in 25cm and 35cm slabs. Morningside, Northgate and Redcliffe; flourandchocolate.com.
French-born baker Christian Jacques has people driving across town for his croissants, but his mille-feuille-style vanilla slices are also a mustorder. The French pastries have three layers of tanned, crispy, caramelised, inverted puff pastry made with French butter in between layers of silken creme patissiere and finished with a dusting of icing sugar. 8 Baildon St, Kangaroo Point; christianjacquespastries.com.
The self-proclaimed home of Queensland’s best vanilla slice, this Redcliffe cafe loves to experiment with the old-school Aussie bakery classic. While their classic with oozy custard in between thin sheets of crumbly pastry is the usual go-to for customers, their new flavours such as doughnut jam, salted caramel and chocolate hazelnut also attract plenty of attention. 155 Redcliffe Pde, Redcliffe; preecesatthejetty.com.au.
This adventurous bakery known for its killer sourdough is also responsible for stand-out mille-feuille. French pastry chef Benjamin Bauer makes a classic version with three layers of ultra crumbly, golden pastry held together with firm, vanilla bean-dotted custard, but loves to experiment with new flavours such as strawberries and cream, and salted caramel featuring whipped ganache. 2-4 Melaleuca St, Kuluin; thewonkyloaf.com.au
