Whether served on a white plate with Harbour views or scoffed from a paper tray on the side of the street, there’s something about a really great Sydney dessert that just makes your day. And with a city chock full of patisseries, bakeries and cake shops serving up avant-garde sweets, it’s never been easier to turn an ordinary day into an incredible one in just a few spoonfuls.
From Black Star Pastry’s strawberry watermelon cake that set Instagram abuzz to Quay’s snow egg, these are the best desserts sydney has to offer.
If a fine French dinner is on the cards, make sure you save room for dessert at this charming Darlinghurst fit-out. The kitchen’s $16 fondant au chocolate is easily the best I’ve had in Sydney, delicately layered and paired with vanilla gelato for a treat that’s big enough to share (though you won’t want to).
The feijoa-chocolate tart is also a standout, but it’s the cakes here that are worth dedicating your whole meal to. Textbook’s creations are wildly colourful with a celebratory approach to baking, and the staff are always so friendly you may just find yourself becoming a regular.
Masterchef celebrity Reynold Poernomo opened KOI Dessert Bar in the Kensington St creative district of Chippendale in 2015. The cafe doesn’t have the grandiosity of dedicated dessert bars in Europe, but each of its tiny slices is like a piece of art that you can taste as well as admire.
The fluffy Japanese cheesecake at Uncle Tetsu may not draw the same ridiculous queues as it once did, but it’s still a Sydney CBD dessert staple and a definite must-try. The $40 hoji swiss roll with hoji cha cream is as beautiful as it is tasty, and the Royal milk tea pudding is another highlight.
This Newtown bakery is a real life-saver when it comes to finding gluten and dairy free desserts that hit the spot. The signature sourdough doughnuts are made using an organic brown rice sourdough starter and come filled with stewed apple cinnamon, or Yu Ozone’s favourite, a sweet passionfruit custard.
A dessert pie is one of the most comforting and underrated treats in town, and The Pie Tin’s are some of the best. The coconut cream and lemon brulee are especially big hits, but I’m just as keen on their generous slices of scrumptious pecan.
If you can’t quite face a slice of pie, the homely bakery’s oh-so-fluffy and oh-so-creamy vegan doughnuts are another great choice. The fillings change regularly, but the current DD Special features crunchy oat chips and creamy sweet corn soft serve ice cream – it’s an all-in-one box of bliss.