Old school V posh: Battle of the vanilla slices in delicious. 100

Our judges scoured SA bakeries to find the state’s top 5 vanilla slices – from old-school continental style slices to one with a fancy twist. Which ones made our list?

Maggie eyes off a Banana Boogie vanilla slice which made it onto the delicious. 100 Bets of the Best list. Picture: Keryn Stevens

A food fight firing up in bakeries across SA is causing debate among local sweet-tooths and could even widen the city-country divide.

In one corner is the classic Aussie vanilla slice, filled with a solid, springy yellow custard that has led to its affectionate schoolboy nickname of “snot block”.

In the other is the Continental or French slice, made with flaky layered pastry and a lighter, silky custard that is whipped with cream.

Bake Bakery manager Cass Barlow with a vanilla slice. Picture: Russell Millard

Depending on your viewpoint, this interloper is either too fancy and messy to eat or a vast improvement on the original.

The judges of this year’s delicious. 100 list of favourite everyday eats and treats certainly fall into the latter camp, as the five vanilla slices chosen are all the Continental variety.

Bake Bakery, which made the delicious. 100 list, does a Snickers vanilla slice. Picture: Russell Millard

Also on the list, Bayside Bakery’s take on the vanilla slice. Picture: Supplied

At Penola’s Windara Bakery, one of the delicious 100 winners, they make both styles of slice but head baker Tim Case reports that the traditional style, made with a boiled custard, sells twice as many.

“We’re in the Coonawarra wine region where there are a lot of farmers and they definitely like the old country style one better,” he says. “I think it is what they are used to … and you can get your mouth around it easier.

“The French style one is more for travellers coming through. That fluffier sort of vanilla is more a modern style, for the younger group.”

Bake Bakery manager Cass Barlow with a vanilla slice. Picture: Russell Millard

Bake Bakery at Seacliff Park, another delicious 100 winner, only produces the Continental style but on weekends introduces special flavours such as Farmers Union iced coffee and peaches and cream.

Manager Jessica Tilley says the bakery can sell up to 150 slices when busy.

“Everyone raves about it,” she says. “They always say they can’t get enough of it. We go through slabs of it every day.”

The new-look delicious 100 is a collection of the best eats and treats from across South Australia, from perfect pies and pizzas to top tacos and burgers. Vote for the finalist you believe should be number one in each category by November 3.

Originally published as Old school V posh: Battle of the vanilla slices in delicious. 100