Easy lamington recipes for National Lamington Day, July 21, 2022

Are lamingtons the most Australian cake? Light and fluffy sponge coated in chocolate and coconut. Here are a few ideas to celebrate the iconic sweet.

Did you know this treat was named after the Governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington?

The story goes that he was having his favorite yellow sponge cake served for his guests when the maid-servant accidentally dropped the cake into melted chocolate. When his Lordship heard he was the one who recommended them to roll the squares in coconut shavings to make them less messy for guests to eat with their tea.

Well there you go.

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cup caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

300ml pure cream

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup finely diced mango

For the icing:

1 cup milk

250g white chocolate, chopped

5 cups icing sugar

5-6 cups shredded coconut, toasted

Method

1. Place a wire rack on shelf two and preheat oven on CircoTherm to 180C.

2. Grease and line a 30cm x 20cm lamington pan.

3. Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Using a balloon whisk, mix together until well combined and the mixture is creamy.

4. Add the cream and whisk again until thoroughly combined.

5. Sift the flour over the mixture and fold gently to form a smooth batter. Fold in the mango.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cake is cooked when tested with a skewer.

8. Allow to cool then cut the cake into 24 pieces.

9. Make the icing by placing the milk and chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat or induction level 3 and cook stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth making sure there are no lumps of icing sugar.

10. Coat the cake pieces in the white chocolate icing then toss in toasted coconut.

Notes: Coconut can be toasted in a large frying pan over low to medium heat, stirring regularly. It can also be toasted in the multipurpose pan on CircoTherm 150C for eight to 10 minutes. Stir once during cooking time.

I have combined two Aussie classics: fairy bread and lamingtons. The result is a beautifully fluffy fairy-bread cake dipped in the classic chocolate icing and coconut. On the outside it looks like a regular lamington, but one bite and it says otherwise.

Ingredients

For the cake:

110g unsalted butter

220g caster sugar

50g brown sugar

3 free-range eggs

90ml buttermilk

65ml vegetable oil

250g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

50g 100s and 1000s

For the cream-cheese frosting:

40g unsalted butter, softened

90g cream cheese, room temperature

125g icing sugar, sifted

For the chocolate icing:

470g icing sugar, sifted

20g cocoa powder

15g unsalted butter, melted

125ml boiling water

To assemble:

100g 100s and 1000s

80g desiccated coconut

Method

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line a 18 x 26cm cake tin.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar, and mix for two to three minutes or until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, and mix for two minutes on medium speed. Reduce the mixer to low speed, then pour in the buttermilk and oil, and mix until it is smooth and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder and 100s & 1000s, and mix on low speed until just combined.

4. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-35 minutes or until the cake springs back when you gently touch it. Allow the cake to cool completely while you move on to the next steps.

To make the cream-cheese frosting:

1. In a bowl, combine the butter and cream cheese, and mix with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add the icing sugar on low speed just to combine, then mix on high speed for two minutes.

To make the chocolate icing:

1. In a bowl, combine the icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and boiling water, and mix with an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth.

To assemble:

1. Cut the cake into squares and then in half to separate the top and the bottom. Put the 100s and 1000s in a bowl, and the coconut in another. Spread a layer of cream-cheese frosting on half the cake squares, then top with the remaining squares to make lamingtons. Dip each lamington into the 100s and 1000s, and finally coconut, coating all sides as you go.

Tip: Cake flour has less protein than plain flour, which results in a lighter and fluffier cake. You can find it in most supermarkets, but if you can't, you can substitute two tablespoons in every cup of plain flour with two tablespoons of cornflour, then sift this mixture twice.

Makes 8.

Ingredients:

Sponge cake:

140g Nuttelex, melted

1 cup caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

good pinch of salt

300ml soy milk

2 cups and 2 tbsp plain flour

4 tsp McKenzie's Baking Powder

Filling:

1/2 cup raspberry jam

Coating:

1 cup icing sugar, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

good pinch of salt

160ml soy milk

4 tbs melted Nuttelex (or other vegan margarine)

1 tbsp hot water

2 cups McKenzie's Fine Desiccated Coconut (for rolling)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175C. Line a 23x23cm square tin with non-stick baking paper.

2. In a bowl, combine melted Nuttelex, sugar, vanilla, salt and soy milk. Whisk to combine. Add flour and baking powder and whisk to form a smooth batter. Do not overmix!

3. Pour mixture into prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

4. Leave to cool in tin for five minutes and then turn out onto a rack and allow sponge to cool thoroughly.

5. Once cooled, split the sponge into half evenly with a serrated knife. Spread raspberry jam onto one side of the sponge.

6. Neatly place sponge layers back together (one on top of the other)

7. Cut the sponge into 18 squares (5cm x 5cm) and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes whilst making the chocolate coating.

8. To prepare the chocolate coating, whisk all ingredients to combine well (mixture is quite thin).

9. Dip each sponge square into icing mixture and immediately roll in coconut. Repeat with remaining sponge squares. Store lamingtons in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes 18 small squares.

Ingredients

Sponge:

200g caster sugar

200g self-raising flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup cornflour

1 vanilla pod, seeds removed

150g unsalted butter

4 large eggs (at room temperature)

3/4 cup milk (at room temperature)

zest of 1 lemon

Glaze:

7 fresh Aussie passionfruit

100g icing sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp water

2 tsp gelatine powder

4 tbsp cream

Coating:

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup desiccated coconut

Method

To prepare the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.

2. Line a 25cm square cake tin (spring base is preferred) with baking paper Leave the sides ungreased to ensure the cake rises evenly.

3. In a large bowl sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder three times - this is an important step to ensure the cake is light. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl add the butter, caster sugar and the seeds scraped from the vanilla pod, using electric beaters beat until the mix is creamy and smooth. This will take a minimum of 10 minutes of continuous beating.

5. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time while beating continuously. Gradually sift the flour mix again over the batter while gently folding it in with a rubber spatula, follow with adding the milk. If the mix is too dry add a little dash of milk.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 20-25 minutes. Test if the cake is cooked through by placing a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean it is cooked, if it comes out with batter mix on it, cook it further for five minutes. Leave the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the tin then turn it out onto a cooling rack to completely cool before glazing.

To prepare the glaze:

1. In a small saucepan combine the passionfruit pulp, lemon juice, water and sugar. Place on low to medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.

2. Take off the heat and stir through the gelatine powder until it has dissolved.

3. Pour in the cream and stir through. Place the mixture into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow the glaze to thicken to a custard consistency.

To glaze and coat the lamingtons:

1. Slice the cake up into 5cm x 5cm squares.

2. Spread the desiccated and shredded coconut together over a wide plate.

3. Coat each square of cake completely, one at a time, in the passionfruit glaze mixture then in the coconut by gently rolling it to ensure all sides are well coated.

4. Place the lamingtons in the fridge to allow to set and firm before serving.