You will Love Lamington if you love chocolate desserts, So, Its History and Recipe

Kangaroos, koalas, the “barbie”, and summer in December are what we usually associate with Australia. But there’s more to the land down under than just these well-known symbols, chocolate desserts being one of them. Lamingtons are a national icon that is beloved by every Australian, because it is so moreish and delicious. The dessert is made of sponge cake dipped in chocolate sauce, then rolled in dessicated coconut. The sponge cake is often cut into squares or rectangles and sometimes even split in half to be filled with a layer of cream or jam.

The Lamington could be named after Lord Lamington who was the Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. Or it could even be named after his wife, Lady Lamington. No inventor has been identified but it’s speculated that Lord Lamington’s French chef Armand Galland decided to cut up some vanilla sponge cake into squares, dip them in chocolate, and cover them in coconut when he was asked to whip up a meal for some guests. His innovation impressed everyone. While coconut was not usually used in European cooking, Galland decided to use it possibly because his wife was from Tahiti, where coconuts are common. This story was also mentioned by Lady Lamington in her biography, and it was named in a newspaper too.

The trend of making Lamingtons soon caught on. Now, the Lamington, colloquially known as “lammo”, is common not just in Australia but also its neighbor New Zealand. Australians even celebrate National Lamington Day on July 21 every year. So, we recommended trying one of the most delicious chocolate dessert recipes for Lamington, below.

Recipe to Make Lamingtons

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 195 g flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 113 g room temperature unsalted butter
• 120 ml room temperature milk
• 200 g granulated white sugar
• 2 room temperature eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate frosting:

• 450 g sifted powdered sugar
• 35 g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 42 g cubed unsalted butter
• 120 ml room temperature milk

For the coconut coating:

• 175 g unsweetened, dry shredded coconut

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 C, then grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch cake pan.
• Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking paper.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and set this aside.
• In another bowl, beat the room temperature butter until it's smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat this mixture further. You should have something that is fluffy and pale.
• Add one egg at a time into the creamed butter and sugar and mix well. Then add the vanilla extract.
• Finally fold in the flour and milk in batches. After every addition, give the mixture a good stir. The aim is to avoid any flour pockets and streaks.
• Add the batter to the prepared cake pan and then Smoothen with a spatula.
• Bake in the oven for about 20 to 22 minutes. To check if the cake is done, insert a toothpick or a wooden skewer into it. If it comes clean, you know it’s cooked through.
• Take the cake out of the oven and then let it cool down slightly for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove the cake and let it cool down further on a wire rack.
• Once the cake is completely cool to touch, cut it into even sized squares.
• Then start work on making the chocolate frosting by placing powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk in a bowl. Place it over a saucepan of simmering water.
• Whisk so that the chocolate frosting comes together.
• For assembly, spread the coconut shreds on a flat plate.
• Dip the squares in chocolate frosting, then in the coconut shreds. If the frosting thickens during this process, just microwave it for 30 seconds and add a splash of milk.
• Once the frosting has set, you can enjoy the Lamingtons with some cold milk or a cup of coffee.