Lamingtons — chocolate-dipped, coconut-coated sponge squares

i. Origin & history

Lamingtons are generally traced to Queensland around the turn of the twentieth century and named after Lord Lamington, who was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. The most repeated story credits his household — often his French chef — with improvising the cake to feed unexpected guests by dipping leftover sponge in chocolate and coconut. It is a charming tale, but like most cake legends it is hard to verify; what is certain is that recipes under the name appear in Australian newspapers and cookbooks in the first years of the 1900s, and that Lord Lamington himself is reported to have disliked the cakes named after him.

New Zealand has occasionally laid a claim, and the cake is popular on both sides of the Tasman, but the lamington is overwhelmingly regarded as Australian. It became part of everyday life through home baking and the Country Women's Association, and above all through the lamington drive: a fundraising tradition in which schools, scout groups and sports clubs make or order lamingtons by the dozen and sell them to neighbours. That mass-production role explains the cake's construction — a single slab of sponge yields dozens of individual portions that need no plate or fork.

The lamington is now a national symbol of sorts. Australia marks a National Lamington Day each July, bakeries compete over the best versions, and the cake has been reinvented with everything from salted caramel to native finger lime. The classic, though, remains a plain sponge, chocolate icing and coconut.

What is a lamington, exactly, compared with similar cakes? It is closest to the coconut-covered 'snowballs' and coconut cakes of British baking, but differs in being a cube of sponge rather than a domed cake, and in its icing being a thin, absorbent dip rather than a thick frosting.

ii. Why the sponge should be a day old

The single most important lamington rule is that the sponge should not be fresh. A freshly baked butter sponge is soft, moist and crumbly; when you dip a cube of it into warm icing it tears, sheds crumbs into the bowl and soaks up so much liquid that it falls apart. A sponge baked the day before has firmed up as its starches set and some moisture evaporated, and it holds its shape through dipping. Many bakers go further and freeze the cut cubes for an hour, which makes them firm enough to handle quickly and helps the icing set on contact.

The icing is the other half. It is not a frosting but a thin, pourable glaze of icing sugar, cocoa, a little butter and hot milk or water. Kept warm over a pan of simmering water, it stays runny enough to coat the cube in a thin film and soak a few millimetres into the crumb — that soaked outer layer is what gives a good lamington its slightly fudgy edge. Icing that is too thick sits on the surface in a heavy shell; icing that is too thin and hot soaks right through and collapses the sponge.

Desiccated coconut needs to go on immediately, while the icing is wet. The fine, dry coconut sticks to the tacky surface and absorbs a little of its moisture, which helps set the coating. Rolling the cube in a deep tray of coconut, rather than sprinkling it, ensures every face is covered.

Finally, the sponge itself. A traditional butter sponge, made with creamed butter, sugar and eggs, has enough structure to survive; a fat-free whisked sponge is lighter but often too fragile. Some old recipes use a plain 'butter cake'; either works as long as it is a day old.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 16 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 125 g unsalted butter, softened (sponge)
• 150 g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 225 g self-raising flour
• 120 ml milk (sponge)
• 450 g icing sugar
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 30 g butter (icing)
• 150 ml milk (icing)
• 250 g desiccated coconut

Self-raising flour is standard in Australian recipes; substitute 225 g plain flour plus 2½ tsp baking powder. Use unsweetened cocoa and sift it with the icing sugar — lumps will not dissolve in the dipping bowl. Desiccated coconut is the fine, dry kind; flaked or shredded coconut will not cling evenly. You will have coconut left over, which is unavoidable for a proper roll. For jam-and-cream lamingtons, add 100 g raspberry jam and 150 ml whipped cream. For pink lamingtons, replace the chocolate icing with an 85 g packet of raspberry jelly made up with 250 ml boiling water and chilled until syrupy.

iv. Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F), or 160 °C fan. Grease and line a 23 cm square cake tin with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar for 4–5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Fold in the flour in three additions, alternating with the milk, until just smooth.
3. Spread into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden, springy to the touch and a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then on a rack. Wrap and leave overnight.
4. Trim the crusty edges and cut the sponge into 16 even squares. Freeze the squares on a tray for 30–60 minutes until firm.
5. For the icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a heatproof bowl. Add the butter and milk and set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth, glossy and thin enough to run off a spoon in a steady stream. Keep it over the warm water.
6. Spread the coconut in a shallow tray. Using two forks, dip one square at a time into the icing, turning to coat all sides, and let the excess drip off for a few seconds.
7. Drop the cube straight into the coconut and roll or toss it until completely covered. Transfer to a wire rack. If the icing thickens, stir in a teaspoon of hot water; refresh the coconut tray if it becomes clumpy with icing.
8. Leave the lamingtons on the rack for at least 1 hour, until the icing has set. For jam-and-cream versions, split each one horizontally and fill with jam and whipped cream just before serving.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Never use fresh sponge. It crumbles and soaks up icing until it disintegrates. Bake the day before, or at least freeze the cubes until firm.
• Keep the icing warm and thin. As it cools it thickens and goes on in a heavy, uneven layer. Working over a bowl of warm water keeps it consistently runny.
• Use two forks, not your fingers. Forks let you lift and turn the cube without denting it, and keep chocolate out of the coconut tray.
• Work in two batches of coconut. Coconut that has had a dozen cubes rolled through it turns into chocolate clumps; tip half aside and use fresh coconut for the second batch.
• Cut even cubes. Trimming the crust gives clean sides that take icing evenly; the crust repels it and leaves bald patches.
• Let them set before stacking. An hour on the rack lets the icing firm enough to store without sticking together.

vi. Variations

Jam-and-cream lamingtons, split and filled with raspberry jam and whipped cream, are the bakery favourite. Pink or raspberry lamingtons are dipped in half-set raspberry jelly instead of chocolate, and are particularly loved in New Zealand. Lamington fingers and lamington cake apply the idea to a long slice or a whole layered cake. Modern bakeries offer salted caramel, passionfruit, Biscoff and white chocolate versions, and vegan and gluten-free lamingtons are now common.

Other Australian classics share the same tea table: Anzac biscuits, caramel slice, pineapple upside-down cake and, for children's parties, fairy bread. Elsewhere, the Filipino sans rival and British Battenberg are other examples of a sponge given a distinctive coat.

vii. Serving & storage

Lamingtons are eaten by hand, at room temperature, with tea or coffee — at morning tea, school fêtes, office birthdays and Australia Day gatherings. Plain lamingtons need nothing else; jam-and-cream ones are best eaten the day they are filled.

Store unfilled lamingtons in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; the coconut coating keeps the sponge moist. Refrigerate any filled with cream and eat within 2 days. Lamingtons freeze very well: freeze them on a tray, then pack into a box for up to 2 months, and thaw at room temperature for an hour. The plain sponge can also be baked and frozen ahead, which saves a day.

ix. More from Oceania

• Anzac Biscuits — oat and golden-syrup biscuits
• Caramel Slice — Australian millionaire's shortbread
• Fairy Bread — hundreds-and-thousands party bread
• Pineapple Cake — upside-down pineapple sponge
• Battenberg Cake — marzipan-wrapped chequerboard
• Sans Rival — Filipino cashew meringue cake