Lamingtons recipe – How to make lamingtons

Lamingtons recipe

These are a famous Australian dessert that is made traditionally on Australia day. But who says that they can not be enjoyed throughout the year. The combination of light spongy cakes dipped in dense and rich chocolate is worth dying for. This cake is popular at every bakery in Australia and people make these especially for bake sales or fundraising events in schools. You can also use other types of cake instead of white cake- butter cake, sponge cake, Madeira cake or pound cake can be used.

These chocolate covered delights are very easy to make and the chocolate covering helps to keep the moisture of the cake inside. People often enjoy eating lamingtons by cutting them in two halves and adding a layer of jam between them. You can serve these with a cup of hot cocoa or you can also serve them with your favourite ice cream.

There are a lot of variants to this recipe some of which are-

• Coconut bars in Cleveland USA
• A raspberry version in New Zealand
• Croatia is the biggest consumer of Lamingtons. It is unclear about the connections between Australia and Croatia but this dessert has become the traditional dessert of Croatia.
• In Mauritius, there is a version of the lamingtons cake- Red lamingtons cake. They dip the cakes in a red liquid and also the spongey cakes are red.

History of Lamingtons

Lamingtons are made by using a vanilla cake dipped in rich chocolate sauce and then covered with desiccated coconut. These sweet bites are believed to be named after Lord Lamington- the governor of Queensland (1896-1901) or his wife Lady Lamington. The chef of Lord Lamington is given credit for the invention of this sweet Australian dessert. It is believed that the chef was called to feed unexpected guests with only a limited number of ingredients.

There are a lot of stories about the invention of this dessert. But one thing that we are sure about is that you won’t be able to stop after one piece of these chocolate-dipped spongey delights.

Tips for perfect Lamingtons

1. While using an electric beater, do not overmix the batter.
2. Sieving the ingredients is important to prevent lumps.
3. Whisk the dipping chocolate properly or there will be lumps, but do not overmix.
4. Desiccated coconut is not sweetened coconut that is available in grocery stores.

FAQs

How to store lamingtons?

Store the lamingtons in an airtight container for up to one week.

Is it necessary to freeze the cake before dipping it in chocolate?

Yes. The texture of the cake is tender and if you don’t freeze it before dipping then it might crumble. The cake will be difficult to handle in the chocolate when it starts to crumble inside the chocolate.

Why is my cake dry and crumbly?

The cake becomes dry and crumbly if you add too many dry ingredients. So to fix that, adjust the wet ingredients and make sure that the consistency of the batter is flowy.

Can we make it eggless?

Yes you can make Lamingtons eggless. There are many egg replacements which you can try. You can use condensed milk by reducing the amount of sugar used or you can use mashed banana to replace eggs. Some people also use flaxseed powder, soaked in water to replace eggs.

Other dessert recipes to try

• Black forest recipe– the classic chocolate cake that is spongey and super moist.
• Vanilla cupcake recipe– eggless vanilla cupcake recipe with frosting.
• Oreo cake without oven– delicious eggless oreo cake recipe which does not require an oven and so will be ready in minutes.
• No-bake digestive biscuit cake– this is a no-bake eggless chocolate cake. it is super easy to make and equally delicious.

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Printable Recipe

Step by step instructions for lamingtons recipe with pictures

For cake

1. Take ½ cup butter and ¾ cup sugar in a bowl. Beat it for 2 minutes using an electric beater.
2. Add 2 eggs to the bowl and beat it again using a beater to mix everything properly.
3. Sieve 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 3 ½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt into the bowl. Mix using a spatula to combine all the ingredients.
4. Add ½ cup milk and ½ tsp vanilla essence and mix again using a beater. Then use the spatula to give a final mix and also to scrape the sides.
5. Now transfer the cake batter to an 8 x 8 cake tin and bake at 180oC/350oF for 25 to 30 minutes.
   
   
   
6. Once the cake is complete, take the cake out of the tin and cut it into 16 equal bite-sized pieces.
7. Freeze the cake pieces for 20 minutes.

For chocolate sauce

1. In a bowl, add 4 cups icing sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, ½ cup warm milk and 2 tbsp melted butter. Mix everything using a whisk to combine everything and note that there should be no lumps in the chocolate sauce.

Preparing lamingtons

1. Add the cake pieces one by one in the chocolate sauce to coat them completely in chocolate.
2. Use a fork to take out the cake pieces from the chocolate.
   
   
   
3. Roll them in desiccated coconut and so your lamingtons are now ready.
4. Serve and enjoy.