Lamingtons were rife during my primary school years. Being part of an expanding school meant there was always a reason to raise funds, so lamington drives, as well as the giant lamington stand at our annual school feté were an omnipresent occurrence. I’m going to now guestimate that during that period I must have consumed at least my own body weight in these icing and coconut encrusted sponge cubes. The ones back then seemed massive (especially compared with my five year old hands) and were bursting with cream – they were a meal in themselves… The creation of a migrant French patissier and named after Lord and Lady Lamington, the humble lamington has now been elevated to icon status in it’s home state of Queensland.
Whilst flicking through the Faking It cookbook, I found this recipe for a more colourful version of this treat. In line with the convenience aspect of the cookbook, the sponge cake is store bought and little preparation and time is required. With this in mind, the overall result is largely dependent on the quality of cake and unlike it’s vibrant colours would suggest, the flavour of the jelly crystals isn’t overly dominant in the final product.
Party Lamingtons from the Faking It Cookbook
Ingredients
85g packet of strawberry jelly crystals
85g packet of orange jelly crystals
1 tbs unsalted butter/margarine
1 tbs cocoa powder
½ cup (85g) icing sugar, sifted
3 tbs boiling water
350g store bought vanilla sponge cake (or if making your own, 1 day old), cut into cubes
Desiccated coconut
Method
1. Boil 500ml water in a kettle
2. Place jelly crystals in separate containers/jugs and add 250ml water to each
3. Mix until crystals are dissolved and pour jelly into separate shallow containers
4. Chill in fridge for 1 – 1.5 hours (you want the jelly to be semi set)
5. To make chocolate icing, place cocoa powder, icing sugar, butter/marg and water in a bowl and whisk with fork until combined. If icing sets over time, add another tablespoon of boiling water.
6. To make lamingtons, dip sponge cubes into jelly/chocolate icing, then straight into desiccated coconut, place on rack to set. If the jelly is too firm, you can sit the container in a hot water bath for a couple of minutes.
