Lamingtons

Australia’s beloved bite-size cakes filled with raspberry jam, coated with a chocolate glaze, and then coconut shreds.

Active Time:

1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time:

3 hours 25 minutes

Servings:

1. (1 half-inch) square

Yield:

40

You can go to any place in Australia, whether it’s an artisan shop in a corner, a bake sale at the school, or even a restaurant where you can find Lamingtons, cakes used for special occasions, and a snack for the everyday. They are named after Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland, between 1896 and 1901. Lamingtons consist of small, squishy squares of sponge cake, which are covered with raspberry jam before being coated with the chocolate glaze before being covered with coconut shredded.

The Lamingtons begin by making the buttery, rich vanilla sponge cake. Make sure to mix the sugar and eggs until they’re a foamy ribbon before adding the flour, mixture of flour, and butter; this helps to incorporate the liquids in the batter, which prevents the eggs from evaporating.

Chilling (or chilling or freezing) the cake overnight before cutting and coating helps keep the cake pieces from separating and makes coating much more accessible. Utilize just a tiny amount of jam to make the layers, and then make an assembly line that dips each cake with chocolate glaze and then sprinkles it with shredded coconut. These delightful tiny cakes are worth the work.

Ingredients

Sponge

• 2 cups (about 7 1/2 ounces) bleached cake flour (such as Swans Down), plus more for coating the pan
• Two teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of acceptable sea salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
• 1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
• Three large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1 cup (5 1/2 ounces) finely chopped (70% cacao) bittersweet chocolate (such as Lindt)
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• Three tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water, as needed

Additional ingredients

• 3 cups (7 1/2 ounces) unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions

Make sure you have the sponge ready.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x 9-inch baking pan made of metal with butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour before squeezing off the excess.
2. Mix baking powder, flour, and salt in a bowl of medium size. Put 1/2 cup of the flour mixture in a separate bowl. Gradually whisk milk and butter into the flour mixture, stirring until the mixture has thickened and is well mixed. Set aside. With a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla at a medium-high rate until the mixture has tripled in size, thickened, and pale yellow, approximately 7 minutes. When the mixer is at a low speed, gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour mixture, beating until mixed, about 30 minutes. Gradually add butter mixture and beat until well mixed, approximately 15 minutes. Then, evenly pour the batter into the pan you prepared, about 3 cups for each pan. Bake in the preheated oven until a skewer inserted into the cake’s center is clean, between 20 and 22 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let cool, approximately 15 minutes. Transfer the cake onto an uncooked wire rack, remove the parchment, transfer it to the wire rack, and allow it to cool completely for about an hour. (Sponge could be made beforehand. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and chill for 24 hours or freeze for up to two weeks.)

The Glaze is ready to be made.

1. Make sure to fill a medium saucepan with water up to 1 inch. Bring to a simmer on medium. Put a large heatproof dish over the saucepan and add milk, chocolate, and butter. Stir frequently until the chocolate is melted and mixed between 4 and 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon, until Glaze becomes a drinkable consistency. Put aside and allow to cool to the room’s temperature between 20 and 30 minutes. In the meantime, add coconut to a shallow bowl or dish to place aside.
2. Remove and trim the edges of the cake with an emollient bread knife once it has been cooled. Slice the cake into 40 pieces (about 1.5 inches in each). Cut each square in half crosswise to make two sandwich pieces. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of jam on one half of each square. finish with the one-half. Utilizing two forks, dip one cake square in Glaze and gently turn to cover all sides. Let excess chocolate run off, transfer to coconut, and slowly turn it over to coat all sides. Transfer onto a wire rack-lined baking sheet and rest until Glaze sets, around 15 minutes. Repeat with the other cake pieces.