LAMINGTONS

Lamingtons are squares or rectangles of sponge cake, dipped in chocolate icing and coated witn desiccated coconut.  They are another iconic Australian food and I served them with tea for my “Come have some Aussie tucker, mate!” party.  I had never made them before but was very happy I did as they were so much better than store bought ones.  You can also use store bought sponge cake though, as the cake needs to be made the day before and then make your own icing.  They are quick and easy to make and if you like coconut and chocolate, you cannot give them a miss.  You can also halve them and sandwich them with whipped cream and/or raspberry or strawberry jam.  They are a great tea time treat!  Enjoy!

For the sponge cake – Recipe adapted from Taste

Ingredients (for a 19×29 cm – 7.5×11.5 inch pan – makes 15):
75 gms – ½ cup self-raising flour
75 gms – ½ cup plain flour
70 gms – ½ cup cornflour
6 eggs, at room temperature
215 gms – 1 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp boiling water
Melted butter, to grease

For the icing – Recipe adapted from Corridor Kitchen 

Ingredients:
2 cups icing sugar mixture
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup milk
8 gms – 1/2 tbsp butter
1 cup finely desiccated coconut

To make the sponge cake

Sift the combined flours together into a large bowl. Do this for 3 times.  Whisk the eggs with an electric beater until thick and pale.  Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, whisking well after each addition until the sugar dissolves.  Sift the combined flours over the egg mixture and add the boiling water.  Gently mix with a hand whisker until just combined.

Brush your pan with melted butter and line the base and sides with baking paper, allowing it to overhang slightly.  Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth it with the back of a spoon.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  NOTE: the original recipe said to cook it for 20 minutes, but mine took 1 hour as I used a slightly different pan!  So be sure to check it.

Turn the cake onto a wire rack, cover it with a clean tea towel and set aside overnight to cool down completely.

To make the icing

To make the chocolate icing, sift the icing sugar mixture and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the milk and butter and stir.  Put the bowl over a simmering saucepan (in a double boiler) and stir until the butter melts and you have a smooth icing.  Keep it aside.

Trim the edges of the cake and cut it into 15 squares/rectangles.  Put the dessicated coconut in a plate.

Use 2 forks to dip 1 cake square into the warm icing to coat it and allow any excess icing to drip off.  Then put the lamington in the plate with the coconut and coat it well using your fingers, then place it on a wire rack and set aside for at least 1 hour or until the icing sets.

Enjoy with a hot cuppa!