Ingredients
Sponge
- 200 gplain flour
- 2 tspbaking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 180 gunsalted butter, softened
- 200 gcaster sugar
- 4eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 80 mlwhole milk
Chocolate icing
- 500 gicing sugar
- 50 gcocoa powder
- 30 gunsalted butter
- 180 mlboiling water or hot milk
To coat
- 250 gfine desiccated coconut
Directions
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 20 cm square tin. Cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until pale and light, then beat in the eggs one at a time with the vanilla, adding a spoonful of the flour if it looks like splitting.
- Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt alternately with the milk, in three additions, until just combined and smooth.
- Bake 35–40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed. Cool completely in the tin.
- Wrap the cake and leave it overnight, or freeze it for an hour. A day-old, slightly firm sponge is essential: fresh cake collapses and sheds crumbs the moment it hits the icing.
- Trim the crusts and cut the cake into 16 even cubes of about 5 cm.
- Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl, add the butter and pour on the boiling water, whisking to a smooth, thin icing that runs freely off the whisk. If it thickens as you work, set the bowl over a pan of hot water.
- Spread the coconut in a wide tray. Drop a cube into the icing, turn it with two forks or a skewer for a few seconds only until every face is coated, and lift it out, letting the excess drip back.
- Roll it straight into the coconut, pressing lightly so it sticks all over, and set it on a wire rack. Leave the lamingtons at least 2 hours for the icing to set to a firm shell before serving.
Technique
- The icing must be thin, almost watery. A thick icing sits in a heavy layer, gives a dull look and stops the coconut adhering evenly; a runny one soaks a millimetre into the sponge and sets to a proper skin.
- Two forks, a skewer or a fondue fork are the tools of choice. Fingers compress the cube and leave dents in the coating.
- The name is generally traced to Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, with the usual story crediting a kitchen accident involving a dropped sponge, though the origin is disputed and New Zealand claims a version too.
- National Lamington Day is 21 July, and lamington drives remain a standard fundraiser for Australian schools and clubs.
Substitutions
- No time to bake? A firm day-old butter cake or Madeira loaf from a bakery cuts and dips perfectly well.
- Hot milk in place of boiling water gives a slightly richer, softer-setting icing.
Variations
- Jam and cream lamingtons, split through the middle and filled with raspberry jam and whipped cream.
- Pink lamingtons, coated in strawberry icing instead of chocolate.
- Lemon lamingtons, with a citrus icing, popular in Queensland bakeries.
History
Named for Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, whose kitchen reputedly dipped day-old sponge in chocolate and coconut.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lamington?
Lamington is a dessert from Australia: sponge cake cubes dipped in chocolate and rolled in desiccated coconut. Named for Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, whose kitchen reputedly dipped day-old sponge in chocolate and coconut.
How long does Lamington take to make?
Lamington takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 16 lamingtons. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Lamington?
Yes, within limits. No time to bake? A firm day-old butter cake or Madeira loaf from a bakery cuts and dips perfectly well. Hot milk in place of boiling water gives a slightly richer, softer-setting icing.
What is the most important thing to get right in Lamington?
The icing must be thin, almost watery. A thick icing sits in a heavy layer, gives a dull look and stops the coconut adhering evenly; a runny one soaks a millimetre into the sponge and sets to a proper skin.
