The Great Gippsland Vanilla Slice Bake Off 2021

Effloresce Metung Wins the Great Gippsland Vanilla Slice Bake Off 2021

And the winner of the Great Gippsland Vanilla Slice Bake Off is..... Effloresce Metung! 

Chef Lilli McCamley from Effloresce slid away from her competition late yesterday, earning a massive 299 votes, with The Old Rosedale Bakery in second place (222 votes) and Thorpdale Bakery in third place (198 votes). The inaugural Gippsland Vanilla Slice bake off was coordinated by local dairy producer Gippsland Jersey and What’s On In Gippsland, and sponsored by Vanrooy Machinery. 

24 year old Lilli is a passionate pastry chef who is putting Metung on the map for her delicious sweet treats. She revealed "I've always loved vanilla slice since I was a child but found the pastry never had that beautiful golden crisp flakiness that it absolutely needs. I take two days to make my puff pastry from scratch using Gippsland Jersey butter. For the custard I use Gippsland Jersey milk and cream, and source free range eggs from our local egg farmer in Metung." 

Although vanilla slices are always popular at Effloresce, Lilli experienced a huge surge in sales during the competition, with many locals coming by to try a slice after hearing about her entry! It wasn’t just Effloresce that experienced this either - many entrants to the Great Gippsland Vanilla Slice Bake Off achieved record sales of their slices, selling out early in the morning and having to make another few batches by lunch! 

Store Sixty One Cafe co-owners Sharma and Thomas sold 5 slabs in one day after entering the competition (a new store record) and revealed “The Vanilla Slice Bake off was a massive hit! Not only did it showcase our business and our delicious Vanilla Slice, it also created a sense of excitement in the air which is hard to find these days given everything going on. (We) are very grateful for the support shown by the community and would highly recommend any business who bakes Vanilla Slice to participate in next year’s bake off!”

For their win Effloresce were presented with a $250 voucher from GJ and a $250 voucher from Vanrooy - plus bragging rights to the best Vanilla Slice in Gippsland celebrated with a winner’s plaque for their store window! This year’s competition was decided by public vote due to COVID restrictions, however for 2022 the organisers are hoping to judge the entrants personally, visiting each bakery to taste! Judging by the swell of public support in 2021, the competition looks set to become even bigger and better in the future.