WITH a super crispy pastry, exceptional, creamy custard and just the right sliver of sweet icing adorning the top, North End Bakehouse’s delectable vanilla slice has been named Australia’s best by the Baking Association of Australia.
Chasing the coveted prize for nine years, Matt Aylett and his team of master bakers were over the moon when they heard the news, in Bendigo on Saturday, March 4.
“We were super-excited, especially because we’ve put in a lot of time and effort over the years to perfect this dessert, we’ve always played with the recipe and now we’ve got it perfected,” Matt said.
North End Bakehouse customers of course, don’t need a national award to be told how sublime the slice is, as Matt said, “We get people coming from everywhere and everyone always tells us that our vanilla slice is the best they’ve had. In the end, as long as we keep our customers happy, that’s amazing.”
Crispy pastry and creamy custard aside, Matt said the judges also looked for how well the slice stayed together, once bitten into, avoiding the all too familiar oozing from the sides.
No stranger to winning a string of bakery awards, including Most Innovative hot Cross Bun (2023) and Best Hot-Cross Bun (2021 &2022), Matt said his team would return to the awards next year to defend their title.
