Lamingtons - Traditional and Non-Traditional

Origin: Australian

Chocolate covered cake with a layer of sweet coconut on top creating a nice little treat with a cup of tea or coffee.

You can also have nuts instead of coconut, but if you choose this route you loose the pop of the coconut, which is what makes a lamington a lamington. (Still great with a cup of tea or coffee though).

Makes About: 24

Time: Unknown

Difficulty: 3 out of 5 (1 being cookies in a tube - ready bake cookies)

Prep

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease and flour an 8 X 12 inch pan.

Ingredients - Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

Icing

4 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

Finishing Steps

1 cup unsweetened dried coconut (On a plate)

(For other toppings look at the bottom of the page.)

Instructions - Cake

-Step 1 - Sifting and Mixing

Sift together the 2 cups of flour, 4 tablespoons baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Set this aside.

-Step 2 - Beating the Eggs

Beat the room temperature stuck of butter and 3/4 cup of sugar together till combined. It will look clumpy, light, and fluffy.

Add the two room temperature eggs one at a time mixing well. After mixing the first egg it should look like the picture below (I already have my second egg sitting in the bowl). You will notice the texture getting smooth.

Add the second egg and mix till completely combined-till your eggs, sugar, and butter are smooth; like the picture below. Also add the 1 teaspoon vanilla till it is mixed in.

-Step 3 - Alternate

Pour in the flour mixture alternating with the 1/2 cup of milk.

Do this slowly because your mixture can become either too wet or too dry too quickly. I did it in four alterations.

The mixture will be lighter in color and also very thick.

Spoon the mixture into the greased and floured pan flattening it out so it is even.

Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes - till a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then flip onto a wire wrack. Let sit till it cools completely (over night or for a good part of the afternoon), so it firms up enough before slicing and icing.

Instructions - Icing

-Step 4 - Some More Sifting

In a large bowl sift together the 4 cups confectioners' sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa powder.

-Step 5 - More Mixing

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a sauce pan on low till completely melted.

In a separate sauce pan heat 1/2 cup of milk till warm.

Combine the warmed milk and melted butter with the sugar and cocoa and mix well. It should be thick, but it also needs to be slightly runny, so you can put the icing on the cake squares.

Tip Below

Tip: If the icing seems to thick: I put mine on low on the stove, so that way it would stay slightly warm. You can put a dash more milk in it as well if it is too thick. But, remember that you don't want it runny because you want the icing to stick to the cake and also dry.

WARNING: Don't put in the microwave because you don't want to risk burning your icing. But, you want to be very careful putting it on the stove because you can burn it this way as well.

Instructions - Finishing Steps

-Step 6 - Slicing

Cut the edges off your cake creating flat edges all the way around your cake.

Then cut your cake into squares; about 24.

-Step 7 - Icing

Now, for the hardest part, icing.

As you can see in the picture above, I stuck my cake with a fork, but DON'T do that because your cake will fall apart because the icing may be too thick or heavy and your cake may be to flakey.

The best way to do it is grab two forks and drop the cake, one at a time, in the icing and roll them around till completely covered. Again, find a way to keep your icing from hardening in the bowl. Use the forks as giant prongs to pull your cakes out of the icing.

Carefully scrape your cake on the side of your bowl if your icing is too thick on the cake.

-Step 8 - Coat

Put your coconut on a plate or flat surface and roll your iced cake around covering each side completely.

-Step 9 - Set

Place the the lamington on your wire rack and let harden completely.

-Step 10 - Enjoy!

Personal Thoughts: The cake and the chocolate make a great little sweet treat, but the topping is actually what makes this treat a treat. What makes a lamington a lamington is the coconut on top. It creates a unique taste and flavor emphasizing the chocolate and the cake.

Other Topping Options:

-Toast 1 cup coconut: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the coconut in a thin layer on parchment paper on a pan and toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally till lightly toasted and then place it on a plate. (I did not do this option, but after tasting the lamington I realized that this would be really good.)

-Toast 1 cup hazelnuts: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place hazelnuts in a plan and let roast in the oven for 10 minutes. If the hazelnuts have a skin on them roll them in a paper towel or just a regular dish towel till the skin comes off.

Then chop the nuts into fine pieces and place them on a plate.

-Chop 1 cup of almonds: Chop the almonds into bits. and place on a plate. You can use toasted almonds or regular almonds.

Using salted almonds would not taste all the great I believe, but if you feel courageous try it out. I just believe the salt would kill the flavor of the cake and chocolate. Using regular almonds was kind of boring. But if you like chocolate more than nuts or coconut, this would be your best option.

-Chop 1 cup macadamia nuts: I didn't actually like this option. I thought it was kind of bland and did not add a flair to the cake. But again, if you are a chocolate lover and would rather taste the icing the macadamia nuts create a nice textured top.

"Jamie Oliver" helped me make my first Lamingtons and also gave me ideas to add new flavors on my own.