“It’s got a good texture with the custard, good vanilla flavour, a nice crispy pastry and a nice shiny fondant top.”
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That’s how Bridgewater Bakery owner Patrick O’Toole describes his award winning vanilla slice.
Mr O’Toole knew the slice was good, but he wasn’t expecting it to take first in this year’s Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph.
It did however, and at first he couldn’t believe it.
The prize allows Bridgewater Bakery to boast it has the best vanilla slice in Australia.
“I sort of didn’t believe it at the start, but once we did win, I was quite happy with it,” Mr O’Toole said.
Mr O’Toole said he didn’t want to give away too much about his winning recipe, but did share a few tips.
Attention to detail was one of the keys to win the judges favour, he said, including measuring dimensions to the nearest millimetre.
“You’ve got to take the time to make the slice look and taste as best you can,” Mr O’Toole said.
Beyond that, the characteristics of a good slice are simple.
“The custard has to be a nice vanilla flavoured and creamy and fluffy texture, and a crispy biscuit like pastry,” Mr O’Toole said.
Mr O’Toole is sharing the glory with Elmore Bakery’s Linette Moore, who suspects her rich, creamy custard was what won her the apprentice prize.
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