Today (Tuesday 21 July) is National Lamington Day – a special time to honour Australia’s culinary icon!
Try your hand at whipping up the classic version of this beloved Aussie snack, or serve it up with a twist, by turning it into a cake or adding some peanut butter.
We’ve taken a deep dive into the CW archives to bring you our top three lamington recipes so you too can celebrate the humble lamington.
Classic lamingtons
Recipe and image courtesy of McKenzie’s.
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Makes 20
- 2/3 cup plain flour
- 1/3 cup McKenzie’s corn flour
- 5 eggs
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 60g butter, melted
- 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter, softened
- 2-3 Tbsp boiling water
- 2 cups McKenzie’s fine desiccated coconut
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington tray with greaseproof paper.
Sift together the flours and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy and doubled in size. Gently mix through the flour making sure it’s well incorporated.
Pour the butter in slowly and fold carefully through.
Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 18-20 minutes, until soft and spongy to touch. Leave to cool in tin for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Cut sponge into 5 cm cubes.
Stir together the cocoa, icing sugar and butter. Add enough boiling water to make a runny icing. Place the coconut in a tray. Pierce the sponge cubes with a fork and dip into the chocolate icing. Dip sponge in the coconut. Place onto greaseproof paper and leave to dry.
‘PB and J’ lamingtons
This is an edited extract from Peanut Butter by Tim Lannan and James Annabel, published by Hardie Grant Books $22.99 and is available where all good books are sold. Photographer: © Kate Berry 2020.
Makes 12–15
- 120g unsalted butter or butter substitute, softened
- 115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
- 150ml milk of your choice
- 2 eggs or egg substitute
- 225g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
- 30g (1/4 cup) cornflour
- 200g desiccated coconut
- 60 g (1/4 cup) jam of your choice
- 60g (1/4 cup) smooth peanut butter, softened
Icing
- 375g (3 cups) icing sugar
- 40g (1/3 cup) unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder
- 80ml (1/3 cup) milk of your choice
- 2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter or butter substitute
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 23×13cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Whisk together the butter, sugar, vanilla, milk, eggs and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Add the flour and cornflour and whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate icing by whisking all the ingredients together with a pinch of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of hot water. Fill a wide bowl or baking tin with desiccated coconut.
Slice the sponge into 6–8 squares and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. Then, working one square at a time, dip each sponge in the icing to coat completely, then roll immediately in the desiccated coconut. Place the dipped squares in the freezer for 1–2 hours to firm up.
Remove the sponge squares from the freezer and cut each in half crossways using a large serrated knife. Carefully spread jam on one cut side and peanut butter on the other. Sandwich the two layers together with jam and peanut butter facing. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The glamington
Images and text from Bake Australia Great by Katherine Sabbath, photographer Jeremy Simons, Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.
Serves 12-16
Vanilla cake
- ½ cup (130g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2â…“ cups (375g) self-raising flour
- 1 cup (250ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
White chocolate ganache
- 1 cup (250ml) single (pure) cream
- 500g white chocolate melts
- Pink gel food colouring
Assembly and decoration
- 3 cups (255g) fine desiccated coconut
- 300ml single (pure) cream
- 125g fresh raspberries
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced. Grease three 15cm shallow round cake tins.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until thoroughly combined.
Gently incorporate the flour in three batches, alternating with the milk in two batches. Add the salt and mix until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
Divide the batter among the cake tins. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack, upside down, to cool completely. Cover and set aside.
For the ganache: Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil (there should be bubbles all over the surface, not just around the edge). Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until there are no lumps. Stir in the pink colouring until the desired shade is reached. Set the ganache aside until it cools and thickens slightly. If needed, briefly chill it in the fridge (for about 5-10 minutes), then stir again until smooth. Once the ganache has reached the right consistency, transfer it to a wide, shallow dish.
To decorate: Put the coconut in a wide, shallow dish. Gently dip one of the cake layers into the pink ganache, ensuring even coverage, then dip into the coconut. Place the cake on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Repeat with the remaining cake layers.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
Place the bottom cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Dollop a generous amount of whipped cream on top and spread it over the cake. Stud the cream with the raspberries. Spread a little more whipped cream on top to help secure the next cake layer.
Add the second cake layer and top with more cream and raspberries. Gently place the third cake layer on top.
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