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Photograph of Lamingtons

Lamingtons

Delicious, moist, light as a feather, squares of vanilla sponge cake coated in a thick layer of chocolate icing and covered in coconut. Makes 25

Course afternoon tea, Morning Coffee, Snack, treat
Cuisine Australian
Keyword chocolate icing, coconut, vanilla sponge
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Author Susan

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 130g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 130g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 160g plain/all-purpose flour
  • 20g corn flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 100g sour cream

For the chocolate icing:

  • 500g icing sugar
  • 50g cocoa
  • ½ instant teaspoon coffee powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 75g unsalted butter, melted
  • 100ml boiling water – or more if needed

Coconut:

  • 175g desiccated coconut

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4

  3. Make the cake: it is important that the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If it is a little hard, beat it with a whisk before adding the other ingredients. If it is already quite soft, you do not need to do this.

  4. Measure all the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl with the butter. I place my mixing bowl on top my scales and weigh everything in directly.

  5. Use an electric whisk to beat until combined. This should take less than a minute. All done.

  6. Tip into your lined baking tin and level the surface, ensuring the cake goes into all the corners.

  7. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes until cooked. It is cooked when:

    – the centre feels springy when lightly touched with your finger and no imprint remains

    – a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean

    – the cake is beginning to come away from the sides of the tin/dish.

  8. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then, using the greaseproof paper over-hang, transfer to a cooling rack.

  9. Once cool, slice into 25 squares and put into the freezer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

  10. Make the icing: when the cake has been in the freezer for around 1 hour and 10 minutes. 

  11. Tip the coconut into a low sided bowl.

  12. Weigh all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir well with a balloon whisk.

  13. Melt the butter and add to the dry ingredients together with the boiling water.

  14. Mix to combine with a balloon whisk – this will help avoid a cloud of icing sugar and cocoa in the kitchen.

  15. Then beat thoroughly with an electric whisk.

  16. Remove the cake from the freezer. Using one or two forks, dip the cake squares into the chocolate sauce.

  17. When covered, allow excess sauce to drip off.

  18. Roll in the coconut and set on one side to harden.

  19. If any of the icing runs off the cakes a little, use your finger to re-shape neatly.

  20. Leave to set.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • mixing bowl
  • balloon whisk
  • electric whisk
  • 20cm/8inch square tin lined with baking parchment
  • cooling rack
  • low sided bowl for the coconut

Room Temperature Butter:

It is important to make sure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat easily with the other ingredients.

What to do if the icing starts to harden:

The icing will harden as the boiling water cools and you add more cold cake.To loosen the icing, pop into the microwave. Blitz in short bursts of 15 seconds until you reach the correct consistency.

Messy Business:

If anyone tells you this is not a messy business, they are lying!!