Fluffy vanilla cake with an outer coating of chocolate icing all rolled up in coconut flakes…sure to delight!
Ingredients: For the cake · 185 g (1 ¼ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour) · 2 teaspoons baking powder · 40 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch · 200 g (2 sticks minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened · 230 g (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) caster sugar (superfine sugar) · 2 teaspoons vanilla extract · 3 eggs · 125 ml (½ cup) full cream milk (whole milk) For the chocolate icing · 500 g (3 ⅔ cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar), sifted · 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate, 60% or 70% cocoa content) · 15 g (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter · 125 ml (½ cup) milk, plus more · 325 g (12 oz) desiccated coconut (shredded coconut) |
Instructions:
For the cake
(Ideally, make the cake the night before or see Kitchen Notes below if you want to make everything on the same day)
1. Make sure that the butter, eggs, and milk are at room temperature. If they are not at room temperature, this can cause the batter to curdle, which will result in a dense cake.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) (without fan).
3. Butter a baking pan measuring approximately 17 x 27 x 4 cm (7 x 11 x 1.5 inch) and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
4. Place all of the ingredients for the cake into a large food processor and blitz until everything is thoroughly combined.
5. The batter should be pale yellow and quite thick. If the batter looks a bit curdled (which can happen if not all of the ingredients are at room temperature), blitz for a few more seconds.
6. If you don’t have a food processor, simply sift the flour, baking powder and cornflour (cornstarch) into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and milk. Beat on low speed until all of the ingredients are incorporated. At this stage, the mixture might look a bit curdled. Increase the speed to high until the mixture has slightly increased in volume. You should have a thick, pale-yellow mixture.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. You may need to cover the cake with some foil if it is browning too quickly.
8. Leave the cake in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool, with the bottom of the cake facing up. This will help to ensure that the top of the cake flattens while it cools.
9. Using a serrated knife (ideally a long, serrated bread knife), cut the sponge into 32 squares, or whatever size you wish. Keep in mind that, once coated in chocolate and coconut, the cakes will be much bigger in size.
For the Chocolate Icing
1. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat in a bain-marie (or a bowl over a pan of simmering water).
2. Add the icing sugar (powdered sugar) and whisk in the milk until you have a thick, but slightly runny, mixture. The icing needs to be thick enough to coat the cakes, but runny enough to only leave a light coating.
3. Leave the bain-marie on the stove over very low heat.
To assemble
1. Pour the desiccated coconut onto a large plate.
2. Using two forks, dip a piece of sponge into the chocolate icing mixture, making sure that all sides are coated, and allow any excess icing to drain off.
3. Then roll the chocolate-coated sponge in the desiccated coconut and place the lamington on a wire rack to dry.
4. Repeat with the remaining sponge pieces.
5. If the icing mixture becomes too thick, whisk in some milk to thin it out.
6. Let the lamingtons set on a wire rack for about 30-60 minutes.
Note:
• MAKE AHEAD TIPS
I prefer to make the sponge cake the night before serving, and to leave the cake to cool and dry on the wire rack overnight. By letting the cake dry out overnight, the cake will be easier to handle and less crumbly when dipping it into the chocolate.
• FREEZING TIPS
If you don’t have time to make the cake a day ahead, I recommend cutting the cake into squares once it has cooled, and to then freeze the cake for about an hour before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
• STORAGE TIPS
These lamingtons keep very well for several days in an airtight container or on a cake stand with a glass lid.
Source: “Lamingtons”. Recipe. www.eatlittlebird.com. N.p. 10 Jan. 2023. Web. 21 Mar. 2023.
By Recipe Contributor
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