An excuse to make lamingtons

What does Australia Day mean to Australians? A public holiday, a chance to wear the national flag as a bikini, fake tattoo or car accessory and not look as much of a tool because there’s safety in numbers – ditto for T-shirts with racist slogans like: “If you don’t love it, leave.”

That shirt was at the same suburban bbq as me, worn by someone unexpected whom I cherish to bits, who tucked into the entree of lime, ginger and lemongrass prawns without so much as blinking.  

Oi Oi Oi, blah blah blah...I channeled my own national pride into making lamingtons, wiping my chocolatey hands on this treasure of a tea towel which came into my life with Mr LP.

The humble lamington is not something I expected to miss while living overseas, but I used to crave them in London as much as Mr LP craved chiko rolls. And they weren't as easy to get hold of in those Aussie shops in SheBu as a Tim Tam.

For the cake base, I used a butter cake recipe rather than a sponge as I find butter cake holds together better in the icing, but I’m just as partial to sponge lamingtons. It depends on your level of patience.

I added dark chocolate to my icing which gave it a thick, rich gloss and less of a sickly-sweet taste.

For best results in coating, use two long pronged forks to roll the cake through the icing and then gently toss in the coconut. I used plain desiccated coconut, but next time I’m going to try long shredded coconut as I think it looks nicer.

To serve, I like to slice my lamingtons in half and spread with raspberry jam and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

They are fiddly, I know, but well worth the effort.

Larissa x

Classic Lamingtons

Makes 12

180g butter

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 cups self raising flour

½ cup milk

20g butter

¼ cup milk

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

¼ cup cocoa, sifted

30g dark chocolate chopped

2 cups appx shredded coconut

Preheat  oven to 180C

Grease and line a lamington tin or square baking tin with baking paper.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together in a mixer until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time and beat until just combined.

Add half flour and milk and mix until just combined then add remaining flour and milk.

Pour cake batter into prepared tin and bake for 25 mins or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

When cake is done, turn onto wire rack to cool completely.

Cut cake into 12 even pieces.

For icing, melt butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Stir in milk then add sifted icing sugar, cocoa and chocolate and stir until icing is glossy and dripping thickly from a spatula.

Place coconut in a large bowl or on a plate.

Roll each piece of cake in the icing using two long pronged forks until coated. Toss gently in the coconut and place on a wire rack.

Serve sandwiched with a generous smear of raspberry jam and a dollop of whipped cream.