Moist vanilla sponge cake doused with chocolate icing rolled in shredded coconut spells sweet bliss. The other day I made a batch of these Australian confections for a coffee I hosted. My guests, who normally pass on sweets, couldn’t resist. I won’t tell you how many I ate…needless to say, it drastically increased my time in the gym. Over the years, I’ve tried a number of different lamington recipes. I think this one, adapted from Books for Cooks 8 (a fabulous British cookbook series), is the best so far. If you have the desire and energy for a bit of baking, give them a go. Hope your Valentine’s Day is a happy one. I’m a bit overdone on Asian food lately, so Paul and I are going to an Italian restaurant to celebrate. Cheers!
Lamingtons
For the Cake
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar or granulated sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
For the Icing
3-1/4 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tabelspoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brandy (I skipped this)
2 cups desiccated (shredded dry) coconut
- Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9- or 10-inch square cake pan and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, sprinkling in one tablespoon of the flour mix after each egg (this is to stop the curdling). Gently fold remaining flour mix in two goes, alternating with the milk to make light, smooth batter with no trace of flour. Spread the mixture over the base of the buttered and lined tin and bake until the sides of the cake have shrunk slightly from the tin and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool for 15 minutes before turning out on the wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing. Sift the sugar and cocoa into a large bowl. Beat in 1/2 cup boiling water until smooth, then beat in the butter, vanilla, and brandy to make a runny icing. Spread half of the coconut in a pie plate.
- With a serrated knife, trim the crusts off the sides of the cake. Cut the cake into nine equal squares, about 3 inches square. NOTE: I made much smaller squares, about 1-1/2 inches in size. Take two forks to gently lift a cake square into the chocolate icing and turn to coat in all sides. NOTE: I found it easier to hold the cake square with a large fork and to spoon the icing on top of it. Transfer the square to the plate of coconut, then scoop coconut on top of it to completely coat all sides. Transfer to a large plate dusted with a bit of the coconut to dry. NOTE: It might take a few squares to get your routine in place (any mess ups are still delicious).
Think ahead: The cake is best baked a day in advance for easier cutting. Let cool completely, wrap in cling film and store in an airtight container. Once iced, store in an airtight container for 3 days. If not making a day ahead, cut the cake into squares as soon as it is cool and leave the squares to dry out on a wire rack for at least an hour to make icing easier. If too fresh, the cake sheds crumbs into the icing.
