Sponge cake sliced into squares dipped in diluted jam or icing sugar and cocoa powder mixed with water then rolled into desiccated coconut.
Topped with cream and or fruit, caramel, or lemon curd.
Today is Lamington Day and here's how you can transform a traditional lamington into a fancy sweet treat.
Makes 20 - 24 cakes depending on size
Ingredients
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup cooking oil
- 1tsp vanilla essence
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
For the coating
- 3 tablespoons smooth apricot or strawberry jam
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- Whipped fresh cream
- Fruit of choice, drained canned fruit will also work
Method
- Preheat oven to 180° Celsius.
- Grease a 30x20cm baking tin with butter or oil.
- Cover the bottom of the baking tin with greaseproof paper to prevent the cake from sticking to the baking tin.
- Cream eggs, castor sugar and oil until light and fluffy or until sugar has dissolved.
- Add vanilla essence.
- Add flour and baking powder and mix well.
- Stir in milk and mix to combine until the mixture is a smooth dropping consistency.
- Pour into prepared tin. I always knock my baking tin a couple of times on a flat surface to even the batter out as well as to remove air bubbles.
- Bake for 25 minutes. To check if the cake is done insert a skewer in the middle of the cake if it comes out clean it is done.
- Allow to cool slightly, turn out onto a cooling rack to cool down completely.
- Remove greaseproof paper.
- Cut the cake into squares.
To Assemble
- Mix the jam and hot water together until the jam has dissolved.
- Put the coconut into a little bowl.
- Lightly dip the cakes one at a time into the jam water, do not drench.
- Roll the cakes in the coconut to cover completely.
- Using a piping bag, pipe a border or cover the top of the cakes with cream.
- Decorate with fresh seasonal fruit or drained canned fruit.
Salwaa Smith - Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights