Recipe: Lamingtons

I must admit to being not a huge lover of lamingtons, I think its the store bought ones with their dry sponge that has turned me off them, however at our annual Australia Day BBQ, I volunteered to make these from scratch and bring them along. These are much much better than store bought ones and are even better with jam and cream (this lightens them up as the chocolate is quite rich). However, they are very fiddly and messy, so not really something you can just quickly whip up. This makes a lot of lamingtons, especially if you cut them into small rectangles.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
275g plain flour
9 eggs
250g caster sugar
90g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the icing:
720g icing sugar, sifted
110g cocoa powder
120ml boiling water
110g butter melted
1 packet Dessicated Coconut
Whipped cream and strawberry jam, to serve

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 29cm x 23cm lamington tin.

2. Sift flour 3 times, set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla paste together until thick, pale and doubled in volume. I have quite a powerful hand mixer and it took 8 minutes.

4. Sift flour over mixture and fold in using a metal spoon. Be gentle, but make sure all the flour is incorporated.
5. Pour over melted butter and fold in.
6. Pour into prepared lamington tin.

7. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through. To test that it's cooked through, insert a skewer and check that it comes out clean or when lightly pressed, it will spring back.

8. Cool in tin for 15 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the baking paper.
9. Once cool, place in freezer for 30 minutes- this will make it easier to cut.
10. Meanwhile, make the icing:
Sift together the icing sugar and cocoa. Whisk together with boiling water and melted butter.

11. Cut the sponge in whatever size squares or rectangles you would like.
12. Using 2 forks to hold the sponge, either dip or pour the chocolate on the sponges.

13. Roll the chocolate coated sponges in dessicated coconut. Allow to set on a baking paper covered tray or wire rack.

14. Serve with whipped cream and jam. These can be frozen either iced or un-iced.