Lamingtons

Sydney was just as I had expected; a sprawling modern metropolis centred around the harbour for which the city is so well known. On my second day I ventured into the Blue Mountains, on a small one-day group tour that allowed me to view some of the wonders of this natural wilderness (approximately the size of Belgium). Among them were the towering stone monoliths of the inaccurately named “Three Sisters”. Our passionate and well informed guide, himself quarter Aboriginal, helped explain the true legend of the Seven Sisters constellation and illustrated their significance to ancient cultures across the world. Back in the city, the weather was blisteringly hot, as one would expect in mid-summer, so I sought shade in the wonderful botanical gardens. From here I could capture photos of the majority of Sydneys most famous attractions. I also spoke to some other tourists who informed me that my penultimate day in the city would fall on Australia Day. Another happy coincidence.

Venturing out on this important public holiday I was greeted with a variety of street performers, artists and purveyors of fine foods. It is here I had my first and only taste of a true Australian classic, the Lamington. Like most of the recipes I post here, the methods and ingredients used can be quite contentious. I try my best to do research, but ultimately what I post is as close an approximation to what I have tasted as I can muster. The Lamington I tasted had a moist but slightly dense sponge and was sandwiched together with strawberry jam. The coating was a semi-set viscous syrup, not the crisp snap of chocolate I had envisaged. Both of these innovations seemed entirely appropriate to me, adding interest, texture and moistness to the little cuboid treat. When speaking to the proprietors at their bakery stall, I picked up some great tips for how to make Lamingtons with minimal fuss. But beware, this does add a lot of time. I am reliably informed, it is best to sandwich and portion the Lamingtons the day before consumption. That way they can be frozen overnight, meaning they do not fall apart when coating them in the luscious, syrupy chocolate coating. You are also less likely to find your icing full of crumbs. In order to make a cake that is robust enough to withstand a long bake and a night in the freezer, without becoming dry, I am using a modified sponge cake with both oil and sour cream added to ensure that essential moistness. When it comes to sandwiching the Lamingtons with jam it is simpler, if not quicker, to divide the sponge into cubes, splitting and filling each individually. But if you are confident enough, you can cut the whole cake in two horizontally before filling with jam and then cutting into portions.

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Level: high
Methods: creaming method, ganache
Skills: baking, freezing, decorating

Time: 2 hours (not including overnight freezing)
Makes:16 medium-size lamingtons

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Ingredients
125g unsalted butter, melted
300g caster sugar
250g sour cream
3tsp vanilla extract
50ml sunflower oil
5 eggs
300g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder

4tbsp strawberry jam
300g dark chocolate
30g cocoa
300g caster sugar
200ml milk
250g desiccated coconut

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Method

1. Take a 25cm square cake tin and line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.

2. Preheat the oven to 170C.

3. Pour the melted butter into a mixing bowl with the sugar, sour cream, vanilla extract and oil, then beat for a minute or so until smooth using an electric whisk.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat each one in well before adding the next.

5. Sift in the flour and baking powder, and incorporate gently but thoroughly with a metal spoon.

6. Pour the batter into the tin, cover the top with a lid of foil and then bake for about an hour (remove the foil after 40 minutes) until a skewer poked in comes out clean.

7. Cool the cake in the tin, covering the top with a tea towel, to keep it moist.

8. When cool, carefully remove from the tin and cut into 16 equal cubes. Split each horizontally and dollop on some jam. Sandwich and set aside.

9. When complete, wrap them tightly and freeze overnight to set.

10. The next day, make the coating. Finely chop the chocolate, set aside, then whisk the cocoa, sugar and milk in a pan and bring to the boil.

11. Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate and leave until just warm before using.

12. Using a pair of forks or just your fingers, dip the lamingtons into the syrup, then roll them on a tray thickly covered with coconut.

13. Allow the chocolate to set for a few hours before eating. (They will keep well in an airtight container.)