Lamingtons – Daring Bakers’ May 2015 Challenge

For the month of May, Marcellina from Marcellina in Cucina challenged us to make the classic Australian Lamington. It’s a cube of vanilla sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing then coated with coconut.

This challenge was really good. But I had some trouble soaking each piece of sponge cake. I didn’t trim the crust!  So it was a little bit messy. The crust fell down in the chocolate 🙁

I was so impatient, that I didn’t read the last part of the recipe!  I couldn’t wait to taste my Lamingtons!

I thought that just the sponge cake was difficult to make, because I missed a lot of  genoise’s recipes.

Your recipe is great! I keep it in my drawers. My cake was prefect this time, yeah!!! Thanks Marcellina 🙂

I succeed the chocolate icing! So delicious!!!

Classic Lamingtons

Sponge Cake

Servings: 24

Ingredients:

• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) castor (superfine) sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) (200 gm) (7 oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 ½ teaspoons (8 gm) baking powder
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) butter, melted (optional)
• 2¾ cups (660 ml) (250 gm) (9 oz) unsweetened desiccated coconut, to assemble

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.

2. Prepare a 4 ½ cm (1¾ inch) deep, 23cm x 33cm (9″x 13″) baking pan by lining with non-stick paper.

3. In a stand mixer bowl place eggs, sugar and salt. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high for 15 minutes.

4. While the eggs and sugar are beating sift the cornflour and baking powder at least 3 times

5. After 15 minutes add vanilla and beat on high for another 5 minutes. The mixture should have at least tripled in size, be light in colour and very foamy.

6. Sift flour mixture over the egg mixture. I like to use a whisk but you can also use a large metal spoon to lightly fold the flour in. Some people like to use a wooden spoon but I find it too heavy. Heavy handling now will result in a flat tough sponge. If you are using butter, thoroughly fold it in now but lightly

7. Spread mixture into your prepared pan and smooth out evenly. Some cooks at this stage drop the pan onto the bench top to even out the air bubbles! I have never had that much courage!

8. Bake in preheated moderate oven for 22-25 minutes. The sponge will rise quite a lot but then settle back down. Don’t be tempted to open the oven to peak. I also warn the family to walk gently past the oven! When baked the sponge will have shrunk very slightly from the sides and should feel springy when pressed gently.

9. Turn the sponge out immediately onto a wire rack to cool and reverse sponge so as not to mark the top. Allow to cool. It is best to keep the cake for a day before making the Lamingtons as the cake will be easier to handle.

Chocolate icing

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups (780 ml) (400 gm) (14 oz) icing (powdered) sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) (40 gm) (1-1/3 oz) cocoa powder

1 tablespoon (15 gm) (15 gm) (½ oz) butter, melted

½ to ¾ cup (120 ml to 180 ml) milk

Directions:

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the butter and ½ cup milk. Set the bowl over a pan of hot water. Stir until icing is smooth adding more milk to thin the icing if needed. I find I need more than ½ cup but not quite ¾ cup of milk

To assemble the Lamingtons:

Cut the sponge cake into 24 rectangular pieces – 6 across and 4 down. To be particular you can trim the crusts.

Keep the icing over the hot water to keep it melted. Place desiccated coconut in a shallow bowl.

Dip each piece into the chocolate icing, allow excess to drip off

Toss gently into the coconut.

zaza-cook

Thanks for stopping by! Do not hesitate to send me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Xo, Zaza

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