Lamingtons; soft and fluffy cubes of cake drenched in chocolate icing and rolled in chewy coconut.
Australia. A big country. Like, really big. Home to desserts, rainforests, and mountains. That big. Also, home my (and many others’) darling, Heath Ledger.
It’s a nation, more than most, shaped by people from all over the planet. This can be seen especially so in its cuisine. Southern European immigration helped create its love of coffee and its thriving wine industry, East Asian immigration moulded an adoration for Chinese-influenced restaurants all over the country.
Northern European influence also seems to have influenced the Australian diet, as can be seen in today’s instalment of Desserts of the World. Let’s talk Lamingtons.
Prefer to watch a recipe video? Learn how to make Lamingtons on my YouTube channel instead!
Thought to have been created in the early 20th century, a Lamington is an Australian cake made from squares of fluffy cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate icing and rolled in coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the outside of the sponge cake and left to set, giving the cake a distinctive texture. Soft and moist, with a distinctive rich outer chew.
While these little cubes of cake may not look much, to this day they remain popular and iconic as an Aussie treat. If you Google them today, you’ll also find lots of delicious-looking variations including some with a raspberry jam and cream filling, or a pastel yellow lemon and coconut coating.
Their softness, bite-sized measurements, and simple recipe are understandably irresistible. Something that kids could make but that people of all ages could enjoy.
As part of the Desserts of the World video series to accompany these blog posts, I posted a step-by-step and explainer video on my YouTube channel – you can find it here.
I expected to enjoy these little Lamingtons, but not as much as I actually did. The vanilla, chocolate, and coconut flavours work wonders together, while not being too sugary or overwhelming. Thanks to its light recipe and the smooth chocolate icing, each bite of cake is softer and moister than you could imagine.
They go well with a morning coffee, an afternoon cup of tea, or (of course) as a late night snack. These Lamingtons are a perfect blend of light and airy while being sweet and satisfying.
This might not be the fastest or neatest recipe you’ve ever followed, but it’s as fun to make as it is delicious to eat. They’re ideal for beginner bakers or for preparing with little ones. I hope you love these like we have. Let’s make some Lamingtons!
Want to save these Lamingtons for later? You can pin the image below:
To make these Lamingtons, simply follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 180g (12 tbsp) soft salted butter
- 180g (scant 1 cup) caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 180g (1 ½ cups) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 40g (⅓ cup) cornflour
- 100ml (6 ½ tbsp) milk
For icing and coating:
- 200g (2 ½ cups) desiccated coconut
- 300g (2 ½ cups) icing sugar
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 30g (2 tbsp) soft salted butter
- 100-200ml (6-13 tbsp) hot water or hot milk
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat your oven – 180 C / 160 C fan / 350 F / gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a 18 x 25 cm (7 x 10 in) rectangular cake tin.
- In a large bowl, beat together your butter, sugar, and vanilla for 2-3 minutes. It should look paler and fluffier.
- Beat your eggs in one at a time until the mixture is relatively smooth.
- Pour in the flour, baking powder, cornflour, and milk and gently stir in until JUST combined into a cake batter. (Over-mixing can make your cake come out tough or chewy, and no one wants that!)
- Pour into your prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until risen and deep golden brown on top. When ready, a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should be cleanly removed.
- Remove the baked cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
- Carefully remove the cake from its tin.
- Thinly slice off the edges of the cake (saving them for a chef’s snack!), then continue to cut the remaining straightened cake into small even cubes.
- Place the cubes onto a large plate or other container and place into the freezer for at least 1 hour and at most 3 hours. This will chill and firm up the edges of the cubes for a more professional look once coated.
For icing and coating:
- Once your cake cubes have finished their time in the freezer, remove them and get ready to coat them.
- Pour the coconut out onto a flat plate. Set aside while you make the icing.
- In a large bowl, whisk or sift together your icing sugar and cocoa.
- Add the butter and slowly whisk in the water/milk until you have a smooth, glossy, and very liquid icing that’s roughly the consistency of double cream. You may not need to use all the water/milk at this point, but feel free to add more if the icing thickens as you go!
- One by one, use a couple of forks to dunk the cold cake cubes into the chocolate icing (making sure to allow any excess to drip off) and then into the coconut shreds, tossing them around to coat evenly.
- Place each coated cake cube onto a clean sheet of greaseproof paper. Repeat until all your cake has been used up.
- Allow the Lamingtons to set and soak in their coating for at least 30 minutes.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: why not try grating some orange, lemon, or lime zest into the chocolate icing for an extra kick of flavour?
These Lamingtons will keep well in an airtight container for about 3 days, but are best enjoyed fresh!
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