Black Star Pastry is a Sydney pâtisserie best known for its strawberry watermelon cake and its focus on light, fruit-driven compositions built on layered textures.
2015
Since 2013, Black Star Pastry had expanded into the adjacent space, allowing for seated dining rather than relying on pavement stools.
Strawberry Watermelon Cake 9ddd($7.50)
Two layers of almond dacquoise with whipped cream, watermelon, strawberries, pistachios and rose petals. The structure read immediately as light. The dacquoise provided a soft, nutty base with a slight chew, while the cream carried a controlled floral note that remained fragrant without tipping into perfume. Watermelon introduced a clean, aqueous crunch, contrasted by the softer texture of strawberries. Pistachios added intermittent firmness. The overall composition held a consistent lightness, with each component contributing without weight.
2016
A visit to the Newtown store coincided with the introduction of a new cake.
Raspberry Lychee Cake ($10.00)
A chocolate biscuit base supporting layers of raspberry marshmallow and vanilla cream, topped with lychee and raspberries. Structurally, the portioning created difficulty: larger fruit pieces disrupted clean cutting, resulting in uneven distribution across bites. The lychee, sourced canned, delivered a high sweetness, which contrasted sharply with the acidity of the raspberries. The cream carried a softer rose note, echoing the signature cake. The chocolate base introduced a density that sat at odds with the intended light, fruit-driven profile. Compared to the strawberry watermelon cake, balance was less resolved, with competing elements rather than alignment.
2017
Black Sesame Coconut Yuzu Cake ($8.00)
A layered composition: firm black sesame, coconut mousse, and yuzu gel. Individually, each layer was clear. The black sesame delivered a deep, nutty intensity; the coconut layer was softer, with mild acidity but limited coconut definition; the yuzu gel was sharp and clean, using unripe fruit with a more direct sourness. In combination, however, the flavours produced an unexpected sensory dissonance, with the pairing of yuzu and sweetened sesame reading as unfamiliar and difficult to reconcile.
Black Sesame Chiffon ($5.00)
The chiffon carried a light, aerated structure. Despite its colour, the black sesame flavour was faint within the sponge, becoming perceptible only where toasted sesame appeared in the buttercream. The buttercream itself was sweet and dense, contrasting with the lightness of the cake.
Black Star Pastry is located at 277 Australia St, Newtown NSW 2042.
Japanese Forest Cake ($10.00)
A limited release and collaboration with CHOYA incorporating hōjicha sponge, ume-infused cream, and dark chocolate elements. The ume provided acidity and a mild alcoholic note, cutting through the cream. Dark chocolate dominated the profile, overshadowing the more delicate tea components. The sponge lacked moisture, which reduced cohesion across layers.
Black Star Pastry is located at Kinokuniya, Level 2, The Galeries, 500 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
2022
After being sold to a hotelier, the store relocated to King Street alongside rapid expansion to numerous locations across Sydney and Australia. The range also expanded into pastries and drinks.
Yuzu Danish ($7.00)
A laminated pastry filled with crème pâtissier and yuzu marmalade, topped with coconut chips. The pastry was crisp with defined layers, avoiding density at the base. The yuzu component delivered a bright acidity with slight bitterness from the rind, balancing the sweetness of the custard. Coconut added texture without overwhelming.
Cinnamon Roll ($7.00)
Large in scale. The pastry layers were soft and buttery, though the dairy notes became heavy over the full portion. Cinnamon was present but restrained, lacking the sticky cohesion typical of more concentrated versions.
Palmier ($5.00).
A large-format palmier with a caramelised exterior. The outer layers were crisp, while the inner folds retained a softer, buttery texture. Sugar had fully caramelised, creating a brittle surface that fractured cleanly.
Strawberry Watermelon Cake Latte ($7.00; + $1.00 for iced). An almond milk-based drink with strawberry, watermelon and rose elements. The almond milk mirrored the nutty profile of the dacquoise, while the syrup carried the fruit and floral notes. Garnishes added minimal texture. The drink translated the cake’s flavour profile with high fidelity.
Strawberry Watermelon Cake ($11.00)
Revisited for comparison. Composition, flavour and structure remained consistent with earlier iterations, maintaining the same balance of lightness and clarity.
Ume Forest Cake ($11.00)
Largely unchanged from its earlier version. Ume notes remained present but secondary to the dark chocolate. The sponge continued to lack moisture, reducing integration.
Latte Danish ($8.00)
A brioche-laminated pastry with coffee custard and milk foam. The pastry was crisp and buttery, while the filling delivered a rounded coffee flavour softened by the foam, resulting in a lighter overall profile.
Black Star Pastry is located at 1/325 King St, Newtown NSW 2042.
2023
Black Star Pastry inaugurated a temporary store at Broadway Shopping Centre from May 25th to 28th. During this interval, they introduced a trio of croissants, marking the first-time appearance of such offerings in Sydney.
Rose and Pistachio Croissant ($10.00)
A laminated croissant filled with rose-infused strawberry cream and coated partially in strawberry chocolate, finished with pistachios. The pastry achieved a clear contrast between crisp exterior and soft interior. The coating added sweetness, balanced by the floral acidity of the filling and the savoury note of pistachio.
Matcha Ceremony ($9.00)
A cocoa-based pastry shell containing matcha mousse and sponge. The shell was crisp and lightly bitter, offsetting the sweetness of the mousse. Matcha flavour was direct and grassy, while the sponge introduced additional texture within the soft filling.
The pop-up store of Black Star Pastry was located at Broadway Shopping Centre, 1 Bay St, Glebe NSW 2037, operational from May 25th to 28th, 2023.
2025
Black Star Pastry opened a new outlet within Westfield Parramatta in mid-2025, introducing a store-exclusive alongside familiar offerings.
Mochi Éclair ($12.00)
This exclusive pastry comprises a choux shell topped with a thick layer of icing, filled with baked custard and a central mochi core. Execution, however, was lacking. The mochi failed to provide the expected chew, instead taking on a soft, rice-flavoured texture reminiscent of a loosely formed sausage. Combined with the custard, the overall mouthfeel was dense and monotonous, lacking contrast or structure. The custard itself was generically sweet, with no discernible vanilla or eggy depth. The icing, heavy and overly sweet, overwhelmed the mochi’s subtlety and further dulled the custard’s already muted profile. Altogether, the Mochi Éclair felt conceptually underdeveloped and texturally flat, delivering neither flavour clarity nor balance.
Mango Sago Danish ($10.00)
This pastry comprised laminated dough filled with frangipane, mango pieces, and mango curd, topped with additional curd, jasmine and coconut sago, and a sprig of mint. The exterior lacked the expected crispness of a Danish, bearing more resemblance to a well-made brioche in structure—flaky and tender, but not shatteringly crisp. The frangipane at the base offered light richness and helped stabilise the pastry against the curd’s moisture. However, the mango pieces tasted industrial—firm but lacking in flavour, suggestive of canned fruit. In contrast, the mango curd conveyed a stronger fruit profile. The jasmine in the sago provided a pleasing floral lift, pairing well with the mild creaminess of the coconut. While flawed in execution, the pastry made a respectable attempt at referencing the mango sago dessert—flavourful, but not memorable.
2026
Black Forest Cake ($45.00 for a four-portion, 9 × 14 cm cake)
Created for World Chocolate Day in 2026, this cake featured layers of rich chocolate sponge, sour cherry compote and light Chantilly cream, finished with shards of dark chocolate bark and whole sour cherries. The sponge remained uniformly moist throughout, while the compote contributed a vibrant tartness that balanced the richness of the chocolate. The Chantilly cream added a light, airy contrast, allowing each component to remain distinct while integrating into a cohesive whole. Together, the soft sponge, silky cream, rich chocolate and bright fruit created a dessert that was both comforting and refined.
While it omitted the Kirschwasser found in traditional Black Forest cake, the generous moisture content prevented the cake from feeling incomplete. Nevertheless, a restrained addition of the liqueur would have introduced greater aromatic complexity and further tempered the sweetness of the cream and chocolate.
Among the Black Forest cakes reviewed to date, this ranked third behind those from Schwarz Patisserie and Flour Shop. While Flour Shop’s best example offered a stronger overall flavour profile, subsequent visits were less consistent, particularly with uneven soaking and cream distribution across edge slices. Black Star Pastry, by comparison, delivered a consistently balanced and well-executed interpretation despite its departure from the traditional recipe.
Overall, the strawberry watermelon profile remained the most cohesive across formats. Newer items varied in balance, with stronger results where acidity and texture were clearly defined.
Black Star Pastry is located at various locations in Sydney, Australia.