Lamington is a sponge cake in the shape of a cupoid, dipped in chocolate then layered in dessicated coconut. There are various types of Lamington cakes depending on where it is found. In New Zealand they have their own speciality with different flavors, the same can be found in Australia. However the most basic Lamington is a sponge cake, either store bought or home made dipped in Chocolate then rolled in dessicated coconut.
Lamington is named after Lord Lamington, who served as Governor for Queensland from 1896-1901.
When I first came to Japan I went out in search of Lamingtons thinking that its an international delight, that everybody knows what Lamingtons are. Then the search expanded to meat pies another favourite, then hot dogs and up til today Im still searching for those 3 things.
But recently I started making my own Lamington thanks to this friend who sent me the recipe and here it is. I want to share it with you, I think Lamington cakes deserve a little spotlight because of its long history and how good it tastes.
Ingredients.
- 150g self-raising flour
- 35g corn flour
- 25g butter
- 80ml boiling water
- 150g caster sugar
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 270g dessicated coconut
- 375g icing sugar
- 30g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 90ml milk
- 50 ml boiling water
- 20g butter
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F (180C.
- Grease the cake tin and then line it with baking paper. Set aside.
- Sift together the self-raising flour and cornflour three times to aerate and make sure there are no lumps. Set aside.
- Place 25g of butter and 80ml boiling water together in a small heat-proof bowl. Set aside and allow butter to melt.
- Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer on high speed to to beat until pale and fluffy -- about 4 minutes.
- Gradually add the sugar a little at a time while beating until the mixture doubles in size and reaches the ribbon stage -- about 8 minutes. The ribbon stage means that the mixture will trail from the beaters when lifted out.
- Sift a little of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold the flour through. Be gentle and don't knock the air out. Repeat process until all the flour has been added.
- Next, gently fold through the butter/water mixture then pour the batter into the lined cake tin.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Do not to open the oven until at least 20 minutes or else the sponge cake will collapse.
- Remove cake from oven and rest in tin for 4 minutes. Gently turn cake out onto a clean, kitchen cloth.
- Allow to cool slightly and then use a bread knife to cut evenly-sized squares -- you should get 9. Set aside and allow to cool.
- Prepare the icing. Combine the butter with boiling water and melt. Add the cocoa powder and stir well to dissolve and making there are no lumps. Add the milk and stir well. Next, add chocolate liquid mixture to the icing sugar and use a whisk to combine and dissolve.
- Set up your dipping station. Clear some space on a table and put down some newspaper. You should have set up in front of you, in this order: your chocolate icing mixture in a large bowl, your desiccated coconut in a large flat bowl or baking tin and a wire rack to place the dipped lamingtons. I also recommend having some kitchen towels handy.
- Take a lamington square and dip it on all sides in the chocolate icing mixture. Do not submerge the lamington as you just want to coat the surface. Next, place the square in the desiccated coconut and cover it on all sides. Pick it up gently and shake off any excess coconut. Place on wire rack and repeat process.
- Serve lamingtons with a cup of tea. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
No comments:
Post a Comment