Easy Lamingtons Recipe (Homemade)

There is an Australian dessert that is almost as iconic as Vegemite, meat pie or even kangaroos(there’s kangaroo pie too :-)). It’s a traditional Australian cake so famous that July 21 was declared National Lamington Day in Australia.

Today I will show you a delicious easy lamingtons recipe and a bit of its history.

What is a Lamington?

Lamington is a traditional Australian cake dessert consisting of small square-shaped sponge cakes, which are covered with a layer of chocolate(sometimes raspberry) icing or glaze and rolled into grated coconut shavings. The preparation applied in a thin layer is absorbed from the outside of the cake after a rest time, which gives it a special texture. This cake very often has a square or rectangular shape, but rarely exceeds more than 5 cm in height. It is usually served at the end of the meal, for dessert.

In Queensland, where the recipe comes from, they are still prepared in the traditional way. In Victoria and southern Australia, they are filled with jam, while in Western Australia they are filled with cream.

Lamington remains a popular snack throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is often sold in schools and through charities, called “lamington drives”. It’s often affectionately called “lammo” by Australians.

What is the Origin and History of the Traditional Lamington Recipe?

Lamington’s name comes from baron Charles Cochrane-Baillie, governor of Queensland between 1896 and 1901. Several more or less whimsical explanations explain the relationship between the baron and the dessert.

Maurice French, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Southern Queensland, who has studied the issue in depth, is certain that the lamington was named in honor of Lord Lamington, or in honor of his wife, Lady Lamington. Most sources prefer the first option, though.

The actual identity of the inventor of the recipe is also often discussed. Most accounts attribute its creation to Lord Lamington’s French-born chef, Armand Galland, who was reportedly brought to cook hastily for last-minute guests. Using only the ingredients at his disposal, Armand Galland allegedly cut out the remains of a vanilla sponge cake baked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate before rolling them in coconut shavings. Impressed by the creation of Armand Galland, guests of the Lamingtons would have asked for the recipe later on.

The narrative of the events is also supported by The Memoirs of Lady Lamington. Coconut was not in common use in European cuisine at that time, but Armand Galland would have been familiar with it, thanks to his wife coming from Tahiti where coconut is a common ingredient. One of these accounts suggests that the lamington was first served in Toowoomba, when Lord Lamington took his entourage to Harlaxton House to escape the damp heat of Brisbane, while another claim that it was created by Armand Galland at the Queensland Government House in Brisbane during the busy days leading up to the founding of the Federation in 1901.

Another story claims that Lord Lamington’s Cook, possibly Galland, accidentally dropped a piece of sponge cake into the chocolate. It was later realized that coconut sprinkled over it made the cake more appetizing.

Another possible inventor of the recipe would be Amy Schauer, a kitchen trainer at Central College in Brisbane from 1897 to 1938.

The “lamington cake” is mentioned for the first time in a newspaper of the year 1896 evoking an event, a “Lamington Function” held in Laidley, Queensland. The event was held in honor of Lord Lamington (although Lord Lamington did not attend) and also included a “Lamington tea” and a ” Lamington soup “, etc., although the absence of a specific description of the cake suggests that nothing distinguished this cake apart from its name, related to the event. A recipe for Lamington cake dating back to 1900 was found in a newspaper, The Queensland Country Life. Although the recipe originated in Queensland, it quickly spread, it is mentioned in a Sydney newspaper in 1901 and in a New Zealand newspaper in 1902.

However, none of these recipes tells us either the name of its creator or the origin of the name of cake. A 1927 document also links the cake to Lord Lamington.

Variants of the Lamington cake

A common variation includes a layer of strawberry cream or jam between two halves of lamington cakes. Ystervarkies (porcupine) is a similar, but smaller South African dessert . In Cleveland, Ohio, they are called coconut bars. In Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia there is a similar cake called čupavci.

Lamington cake Celebrations

July 21, 2006, was promoted to National Lamington Day in Australia. In 2009, during the celebrations of Q150, the 150th anniversary of Queensland’s separation from New South Wales, the lamington was presented as one of Queensland’s cultural icons for its role as an iconic ” innovation and invention “.

Well after this brief history lesson, we will now look into the easy Lamingtons recipe

These yummy cakes are perfect for afternoon tea, or even for dessert after dinner. July 21 is National lamington Day in Australia, but there’s no need to wait until next summer to enjoy these delicious little pastries.

Traditional Australian Homemade Lamingtons Recipe

The recipe is similar to how you make a regular sponge cake , you just cut the cake into smaller squares which you can then easily dip into chocolate and roll them in grated coconut

Products you will need to make this easy Lazy Lamingtons Recipe

Ingredients

For the sponge cake

• 3 eggs
• 100 g of soft butter
• 100 g of sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 125 g flour
• ½ Teaspoon baking soda
• 120 ml of milk

For the Glaze

• 500 g icing sugar
• 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder without sugar
• 10 g of soft butter
• 120 ml of milk
• 400 g dehydrated grated coconut

Instructions

for the Sponge cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. In a bowl, beat the eggs, gradually adding sugar until incorporated.
3. Add vanilla essence and milk. Stir in flour and baking soda. Add the butter to the mixture and continue to beat.
4. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased square mold and bake for 40 minutes.
5. Allow the cake to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then place it in the freezer for at least 40 minutes.

For the Chocolate glaze

1. In a saucepan, mix cocoa powder and icing sugar. Gradually add milk, butter and milk.
2. Warm the chocolate mixture over low heat until a smooth texture is obtained.
3. Then cut the sponge cake into squares of 5 cm.

4. Prick each square with a fork, and use a spoon to generously cover each of them with chocolate icing making sure it is evenly applied. Let the excess chocolate flow into the bowl.

5. Dip each square into the grated coconut.

6. Place the lamington squares on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Have you made these Lamingtons before? If you have any questions or tips on making these delicious cakes let me know in the comments.