Australian lamingtons

Name: Australian lamingtons
Cook time: 197 min
Total time: 197 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: Australiana
Ingredients: 250 g Wheat flour; 275 ml Milk; 155 g Butter; 3 u Egg; 1 pinch Salt; 150 g Sugar; 3 teaspoons Baking Powder; 250 g Desiccated Coconut; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 400 g Icing Sugar; 40 g Cocoa Powder

Lamingtons australianos

Medium

Contains allergens

Cereales con glutenLecheHuevos

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 3 hr
Servings: 15

Summary

Squares of light sponge dipped in a thin chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut. Australia's best-loved teatime treat, and easier than it looks.

Ingredients

15 servings

Add to Bring!

250 g Wheat flour
275 ml Milk (150 ml for the sponge and 125 ml for the icing)
155 g Butter (125 g, softened, for the sponge and 30 g for the icing)
3 u Egg (at room temperature)
1 pinch Salt
150 g Sugar
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
250 g Desiccated Coconut (fine)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
400 g Icing Sugar
40 g Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 °C, conventional heat. Grease a rectangular tin of about 20 × 30 cm and line it with baking paper. Beat the soft butter with the sugar for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
8 min
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then add the vanilla.
3 min
Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Fold it in in three additions, alternating with the milk for the sponge, mixing with a spatula only until there are no lumps.
4 min
Spread the mixture in the tin, level it and bake until golden, springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.
32 min
Leave it in the tin for 10 minutes, turn it out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Ideally, wrap it in cling film and wait until the next day: day-old sponge cuts cleanly and sheds far fewer crumbs. If you can't wait, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
60 min
Trim the edges and cut the sponge into 15 equal squares of about 6 cm.
5 min
For the icing, put the sifted icing sugar and cocoa, the butter and the milk in a heatproof bowl. Set it over a pan of barely simmering water, without the base touching the water, and stir until smooth and glossy. It should be quite runny, like single cream; if it thickens, add a tablespoon of boiling water.
5 min
Put the coconut in a deep tray. Using two forks, dip each square in the chocolate, turning it to coat all sides, and let the excess drip off. Roll it straight away in the coconut and set it on the rack. Keep the bowl over the hot water as you work and, if the icing fills up with crumbs, strain it.
20 min
Leave the icing to set for at least an hour at room temperature before serving.
60 min

Notes

The lamington is one of Australia's national sweets and is named after Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, although who actually invented it, and how, is still debated (New Zealand claims it too). It is the classic of school and club fundraising drives, and 21 July is its national day. Make the sponge the day before: when freshly baked it is so tender that it crumbles as you dip it. The chocolate icing should be thin, almost like a sauce, so that it soaks slightly into the surface and leaves a fine coating; if it is thick, the lamingtons will be heavy and cloying. Use one hand or a fork for the chocolate and keep the other hand dry for the coconut, or everything will end up sticky. A very popular variation is to split each square in half and fill it with raspberry or strawberry jam (sometimes with whipped cream as well) before dipping. They keep for 3 days in an airtight container in a cool place and can be frozen for up to a month, either the plain sponge or the finished lamingtons. Cocoa may contain traces of nuts.