Lamington is a classic Australian food with a unique history and origin. It’s a light, fluffy and delicious treat enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s a classic part of Australian culture and is popular for celebrating special occasions.
Brief History and Origin
Lamingtons were first created in the early 1900s when Queensland Government House hired a young English-born chef named Armand Gallon. During his time as a chef, he created a cake named after the then-governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington.
Lamington – The Recipe
- Preparation Time: 1 hr
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Total time: 1 hr 30 mins
- Servings: 12
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 125g butter, softened
- 250g white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp. baking powder
- 3 tbsp. milk
- ½ tsp salt
- 250ml double cream
- 2 tbsp. icing sugar
- 350g unsweetened dried coconut
For the Icing
- 80g butter, melted
- 250ml warm milk
- 50g cocoa powder
- 400g confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and preheat it to 180 degrees C. Also, prepare a 20x30cm rectangle tin by greasing it with butter and lining it with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add sugar and butter, and whisk using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Then add eggs, one by one and keep whisking. Add milk, salt and flour, and whisk until everything is fully combined.
- When the batter is ready, transfer it to the prepared tin and place it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake is firm and golden and the inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- When ready, take out off oven, allow to cool, then remove from tin and slice horizontally to create 2 halves. Slice each sponge into 18 equal squares.
- Add icing sugar and cream in a bowl, whip until soft peaks appear, and transfer to a piping bag. Pipe the cream on top of one square, then top it with another. Repeat the process with all the squares.
- To prepare icing, add milk and butter in a separate bowl, and whisk well. Mix well cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar in another bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while whisking continuously until there are no lumps and the mixture becomes consistent.
- Dip each lamington in the icing until completely covered, then roll in the dried coconut to make an even coating and place on the wire rack. When all lamingtons are done, place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Then serve and enjoy!
Popular variations
Here are a few ways you can change this basic recipe to adjust it to your liking:
- Raspberry Lamingtons: The traditional lamingtons sponge with the raspberry jelly coating is a take that is celebrated in New Zealand. We like the tangy and sweet raspberry coating with the desiccated coconut.
- Double Chocolate Lamingtons: The chocolate sponge and the chocolate coating are a double chocolate bomb that melts in your mouth with a chocolate explosion. These are the best gift for any chocolate lover.
- Fresh cherry and coconut lamingtons: These bite-sized Australian sponges are covered with tangy yet sweet cherry and coconut. We found them buttery, sweet and with the chewy texture of desiccated coconut.
- Lemon meringue lamingtons: These light lemon meringue lamingtons are topped with shredded coconut and filled with tangy lemon curd and creamy meringue buttercream. It is so satisfying.
- Coffee and wattleseed lamington cake: This recipe is for all the people who can never get enough of the tiny lamington. The cake is made with cocoa powder and drenched with coffee and wattleseed syrup. Further, it is topped with delicious chocolate icing.
