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A delicious recipe for Lamingtons using real chocolate, perfect to serve on Australia Day or for a school bake sale.
Lamingtons
Lamingtons have an iconic status in Australia and, although they are traditionally made on Australia Day, they are also enjoyed throughout the year.
Lamingtons are quite popular at bake sales, and anyone growing up inAustraliawill know of the lamington drives, a fundraising event (usually in schools) where lamingtons would be sold by the half dozen to raise money for charity.
What is a Lamington?
A lamington is traditionally made from a vanilla sponge cake, coated in a chocolate sauce and then rolled in dessicated coconut.
They are often found in local bakeries and supermarkets in Australia, though local coffee shops are increasingly serving these little cakes as a posh, yet nostalgic, bite.
When we were in Australia last year, we treated ourselves to dinner one evening at Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne, and I was delighted to find that they had lamingtons on the dessert menu, served as petit fours with a white chocolate chantilly and strawberry jam. Naturally, I couldn’t resist ordering this for dessert!
{Rockpool Bar & Grill lamingtons with white chocolate chantilly and strawberry jam}
Lamington Recipe
Over the years, I have played around with several lamington recipes. Some have produced really eggy sponges, others have been too heavy for my liking.
So I have eventually arrived at my own concoction, which has been a hit with my family and friends for many years now.
This lamington recipe produces a light, yet firm, vanilla sponge which goes perfectly with the rich chocolate icing. Most traditional recipes use a chocolate sauce which is used to lightly coat the sponge and provide a wet surface for the coconut to adhere to.
My recipe uses real chocolate in the icing which later sets to give the lamingtons a thicker coating than normal, which is not only totally delicious, but it also helps the lamingtons to keep better for longer.
How to Make Lamingtons
To make lamingtons, you need to start with the sponge cake.
The sponge cake needs to be both light and fluffy, but it also needs a bit of structure so that it can hold its shape once it is rolled in the chocolate icing and coconut.
If the cake is too soft and crumbly, it will be difficult to work with and it may also absorb too much icing.
I like to make the sponge cake the night before, so that the cake has had a chance to cool down completely and also dry out slightly, making it easier to work with the next day.
But if you don’t have time to make the cake a day ahead, simply cut the cake into squares once it has cooled, and then freeze the cakes for about 1 hour before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
How to Serve Lamingtons
I like my lamingtons plain, but it is also common to find them with a layer of jam or cream (or both) in the centre. These days, you can even find some cafés and bakeries in Australia selling lamingtons with a layer of chocolate in the centre!
And whilst lamingtons are traditionally served in small sizes, it is not uncommon to see them in a large cake form. I recall having many birthday parties as a child where my mother had made a lamington cake to celebrate.
How Long Can You Keep Lamingtons?
I find that lamingtons made using this recipe keep very well because the icing helps to keep the sponge inside moist. Because there is real chocolate in the icing, the coating of the lamington will harden a little, a bit like icing on a cake, but it is still really delicious.
I keep them on a cake stand covered with a glass lid for up to one week, though you would be lucky to still have any leftover after this time!
More Australian Recipes
If you are looking for Australian recipes, you might also enjoy the following:
Chocolate Caramel Slice (Millionaire’s Shortbread)
Lamingtons
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- Author: Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 90 mins
- Yield: Makes 32 lamingtons
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Australian
A delicious recipe for Lamingtons using real chocolate, perfect to serve on Australia Day or for a school bake sale.
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Ingredients
For the cake
- 185 g (1 ¼ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 40 g (⅓ cup) cornflour (US:cornstarch)
- 200 g (2 sticks minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
- 230 g (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 125 ml (½ cup) full cream milk (whole milk)
For the chocolate icing
- 500 g (3 ⅔ cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar), sifted
- 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate, 60% or 70% cocoa content)
- 15 g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- 125 ml (½ cup) milk, plus more
- 325 g (12 oz) dessicated coconut (shredded coconut)
Instructions
For the cake
(Ideally, make the cake the night before or see my Kitchen Notes below if you want to make everything on the same day)
- Make sure that the butter, eggs and milk are at room temperature. If they are not at room temperature, this can cause the batter to curdle, which will result in a dense cake.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (without fan).
- Butter a baking pan measuring approximately17 x 27 x 4 cm(7 x 11 x 1.5 inch), and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
- Place all of the ingredients for the cake into a large food processor and blitz until everything is thoroughly combined.
- The batter should be pale yellow and quite thick. If the batter looks a bit curdled (which can happen if not all of the ingredients are at room temperature), blitz for a few more seconds.
- If you don’t have a food processor, simply sift the flour, baking powder and cornflour (cornstarch) into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs and milk. Beat on low speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated. At this stage, the mixture might look a bit curdled. Increase the speed to high until the mixture has slightly increased in volume. You should have a thick, pale yellow mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. You may need to cover the cake with some foil if it is browning too quickly.
- Leave the cake in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool, with the bottom of the cake facing up. This will help to ensure that the top of the cake flattens while it cools.
- Using a serrated knife (ideally a long, serrated bread knife), cut the sponge into 32 squares, or whatever size you wish. Keep in mind that, once coated in chocolate and coconut, the cakes will be much bigger in size.
For the chocolate icing
- Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat in a bain-marie (or a bowl over a pan of simmering water).
- Add the icing sugar (powdered sugar) and whisk in the milk until you have a thick, but slightly runny, mixture. The icing needs to be thick enough to coat the cakes, but runny enough to only leave a light coating.
- Leave the bain-marie on the stove over very low heat.
To assemble
- Pour the dessicated coconut onto a large plate.
- Using two forks, dip a piece of sponge into the chocolate icing mixture, making sure that all sides are coated, and allow any excess icing to drain off.
- Then roll the chocolate-coated sponge in the dessicated coconut, and place the lamington on a wire rack to dry.
- Repeat with the remaining sponge pieces.
- If the icing mixture becomes too thick, whisk in some milk to thin it out.
- Let the lamingtons set on a wire rack for about 30-60 minutes.
Kitchen Notes
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
I prefer to make the sponge cake the night before serving, and to leave the cake to cool and dry on the wire rack overnight. By letting the cake dry out overnight, the cake will be easier to handle and less crumbly when dipping it into the chocolate.
FREEZING TIPS
If you don’t have time to make the cake a day ahead, I recommend cutting the cake into squares once it has cooled, and to then freeze the cakefor about an hour before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
STORAGE TIPS
These lamingtons keep very well for several days in an airtight container or on a cake stand with a glass lid.
OVEN TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition
- Calories: 360
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Update
This post was first published on 26 January 2012. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.
