About the recipe
A lamington is an Australian cake made from squares of butter cake or sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in dried shredded coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the outside of the sponge cake and left to set, giving the cake a distinctive texture. These cake squares are simply irresistible with chocolatey – coconut flavour.
Kind of Cake for Lamingtons
Generally vanilla sponge cake is used to make lamingtons, though it can be made of butter cake or pound cake. I used simple vanilla sponge cake for my recipe and it came out perfect.
Importance of Coconut to make Lamingtons
The outer layer of lamington is coated with unsweetened coconut flakes or dessicated coconut which is dry and has a wonderful nutty coconut flavour. Freshly grated coconut is not recommended for this recipe. I used dry coconut flakes which I bought from baking section of grocery store. However, you can use dried and shredded sweetened coconut.
Recipe
- Preperation time: 30 min
- Cooking time: 40 min
- Serves: 20 lamington squares (2″ each)
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- 1+1/2 cup All purpose flour
- 4 Eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup Sunflower oil(any other neutral flavour oil can be used)
- 1 cup regular Sugar
- 1+1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
For chocolate frosting
- 4 cups of powdered or icing sugar, sifted
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup regular milk, at room temperature
- A pinch of salt
For coating
2 &1/2 cups unsweetened shredded dried coconut
Method
For the cake batter, first sieve together 1&1/2 cup of all purpose flour/maida with 1&1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.
Take a big mixing bowl and add in 1 cup of oil with 1cup of regular sugar.
With an electric hand mixture, blend them to make a creamy mixture.
Now add in eggs 1 by 1 and beat to make a foamy batter.
Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and mix.
Next add in sieved flour and fold gently.
Your cake batter is ready now.
Preheat oven at 180 degree C for 10 minutes.
Take a rectangular baking tin/mould,size (12×8.5)” and line the bottom with baking sheet. Also grease the sides with little oil.
Pour the batter in to the mould. Tap the mould 2-3 times to eliminate any big air bubbles.
Bake the cake at 180 degree C for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.
Take out the cake from oven after 10 minutes of resting and allow to cool completely.
Cut the cake into square pieces. Cover and set aside.
Method to make chocolate frosting
Place the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water(double broiler method). Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and of pouring consistency.
My delicious chocolate frosting is ready now.
To assemble Lamingtons:
Place the coconut on a large plate.
One at a time, dip the squares of cake into the chocolate frosting and then roll the cakes in the coconut.
Gently transfer the Lamington to a clean wire rack to set.
Repeat the process to coat all the square pieces with chocolate sauce and coconut. Place them to the wired rack to set.(If the icing becomes too thick, simply place the frosting back over the simmering water and reheat until it is of pouring consistency. You may have to do this a few times as the frosting has a tendency to thicken over time. Add a little more milk to frosting if necessary.)
Once the Lamingtons have set, serve them or store in an airtight container for several days. They are so delicious that I am sure you and your family will love to have them in any occasion.
Barak Kitchen 