How to make classic Lamingtons

A cream lamington - absolutely superb!

Any type of plain cake can be used for these lamingtons - sponge cake, pound cake or Madeira cake.

Ideally, make the cake the day before for best results, but the important thing is that the cake is completely cooled before icing.

Ingredients 

Serves: 24 

Cake

2 cups plain flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

125g butter

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Icing

4 cups icing sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

500g desiccated coconut for rolling

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Directions

Preparation:45min › Cook:40min › Ready in:1hour25min 

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.

Cake: Grease and flour a 20x30cm rectangular cake tin or lamington tray. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk and beat well.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin or lamington tray and bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let stand 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Store overnight to give the cake a chance to firm up before icing.

Icing: In a large bowl, combine icing sugar and cocoa. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter until the butter is melted. Add the milk to the sugar mixture and mix well to create a fluid icing that is not too runny.

Procedure: Place coconut in a shallow container.

Cut the cake into 24 squares. Using a fork, dip each square completely into the icing, then roll it in the coconut. Place onto rack to dry. Continue for each piece. The icing will drip, so place a sheet of baking paper under the rack to catch the drips.

http://allrecipes.com.au/

History of the Lamington

A HISTORY OF LAMINGTON

The chocolate lamington is as Australian as meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars, ranking alongside the other true Australian icons of the peach melba and Vegemite.

This Australian culinary icon, which consists of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with fine desiccated coconut, is believed to have been created through an accident at work by a maid-servant to Lord Lamington, the thoroughly-British eighth Governor of Queensland. 

The maid-servant was working at Government House in Brisbane when she accidentally dropped the Governor's favourite sponge cake into some melted chocolate. Lord Lamington was not a person of wasteful habits and suggested that it be dipped in coconut to cover the chocolate to avoid messy fingers. 

Lord Lamington devoured this new taste sensation with great delight and the maid-servant's error was proclaimed a magnificent success by all! Despite serving in Queensland for five years, it is the lamington that will be, forever, his legacy.

We do know there is some controversy over the good old lamington. As much as some attribute it’s first bite to what is today called Old Government House, on the grounds of Queensland University of Technology, there are some who adamantly say it was first served in Toowoomba. 

What we do know with confidence is that the lamington is a Queensland-born sensation and Puckles is proud to keep the tradition alive.

www.puckles.com.au/pages/a-history-of-lamingtons

Australian Lamingtons: Their origin and how to make them

Small squares of plain cake, dipped in melted chocolate and sugar and coated in desiccated coconut. Said to have been named after Baron Lamington (see below), a popular governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901.

SPONGE CAKE

3 eggs

1/2 cup castor sugar

3/4 cup self-raising flour

1/4 cup cornflour

15g (1/2oz) butter

3 tablespoons hot water

Beat eggs until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar. Continue beating until sugar completely dissolved.

Fold in sifted SR flour and cornflour, then combined water and butter.

Pour mixture into prepared lamington tins 18cm x 28cm (7in x 11in).

Bake in moderate oven approximately 30 mins.

Let cake stand in pan for 5 min before turning out onto wire rack.

CHOCOLATE ICING 

3 cups desiccated coconut

500g (1lb) icing sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

(extra cocoa can be added, according to taste)

15g (1/2oz) butter

1/2 cup milk

Sift icing sugar and cocoa into heatproof bowl.

Stir in butter and milk.

Stir over a pan of hot water until icing is smooth and glossy.

Trim brown top and sides from cake.

Cut into 16 even pieces.

Holding each piece on a fork, dip each cake into icing.

Hold over bowl a few minutes to drain off excess chocolate.

Toss in coconut or sprinkle to coat.

Place on oven tray to set.

(Cake is easier to handle if made the day before.

Sponge cake or butter cake may be used.

May be filled with jam and cream.)

Baron Lamington

BARON LAMINGTON

Rt Hon Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane Baillie, Baron Lamington, GCMG, Governor of Queensland from 9 April 1896 to 19 December 1901.

Whilst the origin of the name for the lamington cake cannot be accurately established, there are several theories. One of these theories is that it was originally the slang term for the homburg hat, worn by Baron Lamington, and these cakes were named for him.

Another theory is that they were named after Lady Lamington, the wife of the Governor.

http://www.aussie-info.com/

How to make Lamingtons: Each easy step on video

Have you ever thought that making lamingtons was too hard?

Think again.

This step-by-step video shows exactly how to make the famous Australian lamington in time for Australia Day or any other day of the year.

http://video.taste.com.au/

Classic Lamingtons - easily bake them yourself

Don't rely on the local bakery, create the old-fashioned favourite lamington yourself.

Super Food Ideas

Ingredients

Nutrition

6 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
20g butter, melted
3 cups desiccated coconut

Chocolate icing
5 cups icing sugar mixture
3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 cup milk
20g butter, chopped
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Method

Notes
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 4.5cm deep, 23cm x 33cm (base) roasting pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 3cm above edges of pan.

Step 2
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla together for 8 minutes or until mixture becomes thick and creamy.

Step 3
Meanwhile, triple-sift cornflour, self-raising flour and plain flour together. Sift over egg mixture. Using a spatula or whisk, fold in flours until just combined. Fold in butter. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until sponge is golden and just firm to touch. Turn onto a wire rack lined with baking paper. Cool completely. Trim edges of sponge. Cut sponge into 24 squares.

Step 4
Make Chocolate: icing Place icing sugar, cocoa, milk and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir over heat until combined and smooth. Place coconut in a bowl.

Step 5
Using a fork, toss one piece of sponge in icing to coat (see note 1). Drain off excess icing. Toss in coconut to coat all over. Transfer to a baking paper-lined tray. Repeat with remaining sponge, icing and coconut. Set aside for 1 hour to set. Serve.

http://www.taste.com.au/

Year in Review - Lamingtons and Beer - Good combo for one MP

LAMING LOVES HIS LAMINGTONS!


ODD QUIZ

Q.  During an Australia Day lamington drop-off at a party, which Queensland federal MP became an internet sensation after drinking a beer while doing a handstand?

A.  Andrew Laming MP, Federal Member for Bowman.

Andrew Laming MP scoffing a beer
 to celebrate Australia Day,
presumably with a belly
 full of Aussie lamingtons!

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/

1.1.15

Lamingtons (If they were gluten-free)

“We’ve also eaten a lot of Asian food in Australia. We always appreciate that, because it’s tough to find good Asian food in Sweden, so I don’t eat it anymore. 

But we always eat a lot of it when we’re in Australia.

“Unfortunately, I have a gluten intolerance, so I can’t eat lamingtons.

I really want to know what they taste like because I’ve heard a lot about them and I just really want to know, but I just can’t.

“Unless someone made some gluten free lamingtons, so you know, maybe someone can come to a show and bring some.”



http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/

8.1.15

goodfood.com.au - Australia Day Lamington challenge

The humble lamington.

Could freezing sponge be the secret to the perfect lamington?

That's the advice of two lamington experts who swear this step helps the cakes retain their shape once they're dunked in the icing.

We asked expert bakers for their tips ahead of our annual Australia Day baking competition. Remember last year's #foolproofpav challenge? Well, this year we want you to put your stamp on the lamington.

A lamington from LusciousKiki.

Put your spin on the classic Aussie lamington and send us a photo of your efforts via Twitter (@goodfoodAU), Facebook (/fairfaxgoodfood) or Instagram (@goodfoodAU) using the #lamingtonchallenge hashtag and be in the running towin three new release cookbooks. Let your imagination run wild and serve up a lamington with a twist using different colours and flavours, or re-interpret it as another dish. Lamington cronuts, anyone?

When making mini
lamingtons, Nat Paull
 suggests incorporating
 jam into the icing.

Whether you keep it classic or create a culinary mash-up, here's how to tackle the humble “lammo”.

The cake

At its most basic, a traditional lamington comprises a square of sponge cake which is sandwiched with jam (optional), coated in a light layer of chocolate icing and generously rolled in coconut.

Orlando Artavilla of Spotswood's Candied Bakery says the secret to a great sponge is ensuring you mix the batter in the same direction.

“Make it as fast as you can and keep as much air in it as possible … you don't want to overmix it and knock all the air out of it,” says Artavilla.

Sydney's lamington queen Kirin Tipping, of LusciousKiki, prefers to use a butter cake, straying to a denser mudcake for her more decadent chocolate creations.

The creations of self-confessed “lamington purist” Nat Paull of Beatrix in North Melbourne straddle the line between a genoise sponge and butter cake.

“I whisk up the egg whites, put the sugar in and then the egg yolks go in so you've got this really sturdy base and then I fold in the flour and a nut brown butter, a beurre noisette, so I get extra flavour. It also means I can put in double the butter than I normally could so it's a really buttery sponge, so it's got a bit of density to it,” explains Paull.

The jam

Tipping doesn't use jam in her lamingtons as it competes with her subtle flavours, such as basil-infused chocolate.

However, for Paull, an absence of jam is “absolute blasphemy”.

“I think it needs it, I think it needs to have that little sparkle of surprise inside,” Paull insists.

She favours a sour cherry or blackberry jam and is experimenting with citrus curd and marmalade.

Artavilla has a novel way of adding jam to his lamingtons, piping in “two blobs” to create a treat that's “almost like a lamington doughnut, but square”.

Coconut part I - texture

Artavilla has used the traditional desiccated coconut since his baking apprenticeship days in country Victoria. He suggests shredded coconut may also be helpful to home bakers.

“You get away with a lot more when you use shredded, any imperfections sort of get covered up with those big thick pieces of coconut on the outside,” says Artavilla.

Coconut part II - toasting

Paull finds raw coconut “uncomfortable to eat” and prefers to toast her shredded coconut. If you decide to go down this route, her advice is to go “low and slow”.

“Put it in really low like 100C to 110C and let it cook for a couple of hours so it's got that beautiful deep golden and not just toasted on the outside, it's cooked all the way through,” says Paull.

Flavour combinations

Tipping prides herself on using seasonal ingredients, studding her lamingtons with Australian ingredients like mango and macadamia nuts. When incorporating other liquids, bakers should be mindful of balancing the added moisture.

“You need to adjust [the recipe] slightly because of the water content of the fruit. The fruit will add more moisture to the cake,” warns Tipping.

Prepare for a dunking

Prior to dunking the lamingtons in the icing, both Paull and Artavilla add the jam then pop them in the freezer.

Paull freezes her perfectly portioned pre-dunked lamingtons for two hours or overnight, placing a wooden board on top to compress them slightly. She swears freezing helps the lamingtons retain their shape.

Unconvinced? Artavilla has this to say on the merits of freezing: “It's amazing how soft it still is. People think you put it in the freezer and it won't be the same but it's beautiful.”

Due to the butter content in her cake, Tipping doesn't freeze her butter cakes, preferring for them to “relax” at an ambient temperature for 12 hours.

The icing on the...lamingtons

Do you use icing for your lamingtons? Or ganache? Paull dunks her frozen sponge straight into a hot icing mixture. “You get a really nice coat without it [soaking] in and it sets straight away,” says Paull.

For his coating, Artavilla makes a ganache using 64 per cent Valrhona chocolate and water, dipping the frozen sponge into lukewarm ganache.

All the bakers recommend setting up a production line when assembling your lamingtons. Artavilla and Paull advocate the merits of dipping your chocolate-covered hands into a bowl of hot water to prevent fingerprints tarnishing your glistening chocolate-coated slabs.

After a good roll in the coconut, Artavilla returns his lamingtons to the freezer for 10 minutes to allow them to set.

Other tips

Gluten free alternatives: Tipping recommends using a mix of flour substitutes, such as a combination of chickpea, rice, tapioca and a little bit of potato starch. She says the key to replacing flour in recipes is to go by weight rather than cup measurements.

Stay cool: Paull describes her friend Stephanie Alexander's frozen 'lamingtons' made from cubes of coconut ice-cream as “amazing”.

Soaking: If you're worried about a dry sponge, the lamington at Woolloomooloo's Flour and Stone is soaked in a panna cotta mixture to ensure a moist centre.

Mini lammos: Paull says that adding jam to mini lamingtons is fiddly and suggests incorporating jam into the chocolate icing instead.

Textures and infusions: Go wild with flavours - LusciousKiki's Bazinga! special featured coconut-infused sugar and strips of candied chilli.

Recipe suggestions

If you don't have a favourite recipe at home, use one of these as inspiration.

Mini lamingtons
Dan Lepard's double chocolate lamingtons
LusciousKiki's jaffa fudge lamington recipe
Lamington cupcakes

Happy baking!

http://www.goodfood.com.au/

21.1.14

Raspberry Lamington cake - a nice summer treat

Lamington cake a nice summer treat

Whether it was named after Lord Lamington or his wife, or created in New Zealand or Australia, is still debatable, but there is no question that this version with its raspberry filling and fresh raspberries is definitely delectable.

Preparation time: 45 minutes. Baking time: 40 minutes. Chilling time: two hours. Serves 12.

INGREDIENTS 

Sponge Cake 6 eggs, at room temperature 300 ml (1-1/4 cups) granulated sugar 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla 45 ml (3 tbsp) butter, melted 15 ml (1 tbsp) milk 500 ml (2 cups) all-purpose flour 2 ml (1/2 tsp) baking powder 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt Ganache 325 ml (1-1/3 cups) whipping cream 25 ml (2 tbsp) soft butter 500 ml (2 cups) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips Raspberry Filling 300 ml (1-1/4 cups) loosely packed raspberries 150 ml (2/3 cup) granulated sugar 45 ml (3 tbsp) cold water 25 ml (2 tbsp) cornstarch 125 ml (1/2 cup) flaked coconut 750 ml (3 cups) raspberries

PREPARATION 

Line the bottoms of two 20-by-six centimetre (8-by-2-1/2 inch) round cake pans with parchment paper circles and set them aside.

To make the sponge cake, in large bowl, using electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until they're foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar until it's pale and thickened -about three minutes. Next, beat in the vanilla.

In a small bowl, stir the melted butter with the milk. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat this mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the butter mixture just until blended. Spread batter in pans. Bake in a 160 C (325 F) oven for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the pans cool on a rack for five minutes. Loosen the sides and invert the pans to remove cake. Peel the paper from the bottoms of the cakes. Let them cool completely on wire racks.

Ganache: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and butter to a boil.

Pour over the chocolate in large bowl and let stand for a few minutes. Stir the mixture gently until it's smooth. Let it cool until it is a spreadable consistency.

Raspberry filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the raspberries with sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

In a small bowl, mix the water with the cornstarch, then stir it into the raspberries and simmer for two minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, cover and let cool.

Place one cake, top down, on a plate. Spread the filling over top, almost to the edge. Place second layer, bottom down, on the filling and press lightly. Spread ganache over the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle the sides and top of the cake with coconut.

Blot the raspberries with a paper towel and place some of the raspberries on top of the cake, and save the remaining raspberries.

Chill the cake, uncovered, to set the ganache - about two hours. Serve sliced with remaining raspberries.

Foodland Ontario

http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/

10.7.14

Introducing the Christmas Lamington

If ever there was an excuse for a Christmas Aussie baking-great-mash up I feel the lamington is it.

If ever there was an excuse for a Christmas/Aussie-baking-great mash up I feel the lamington is it. I thought you might feel the same way. So Merry Christmas from me to you, in the form of an unapologetic use of brandy and white chocolate sponge, a smothering of cherry jam, fresh cherries and of course chocolate. I know. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. This is good time overload in dessert form.

I do suggest though, in the Christmas spirit, that you make a double batch. From experience I'd like you to know, these don't tend to last long.

Ingredients

White chocolate and brandy sponge

225g butter

300g caster sugar

3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

100g good quality white chocolate, melted

60ml brandy

300g plain flour, sifted

2 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

120ml milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp mixed spice

Filling and coating

Cherry jam (minimum 4 ½ tbsp.)

½ cup dried cherries, finely chopped

1 cup shredded coconut

2 tsp mixed spice

500g dark chocolate

Fresh cherries to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line a high-sided square baking pan with baking paper and set aside. I prefer this to sheet pans so you can cut the cake horizontally through the centre and smother in jam but if you don't have one a rectangular sheet pan will do just fine.

Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the remaining dry ingredients to a separate bowl and stir to combine. Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add the milk and vanilla and brandy, continuing to beat, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined. Gently stir through the melted chocolate before pouring the batter into your prepared baking tin. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. If you are using a sheet pan, keep a close eye on the time, you may only need to bake for 25-30 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Split the cake in half. On the bottom half smear the cherry jam then gently place the other piece of cake on top. Pop in the fridge to firm up slightly – it makes the cake easier to work with.

For chocolate ganache coating, combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. When chocolate begins to melt, stir gently until combined and smooth and set aside in a warm place.

Scatter shredded coconut, chopped cherries and mixed spice over a tray, using your fingers to turn over and combine. Cut the sponge into sixteen 5cm squares. Using 2 forks or spoons, dip each square into the chocolate and shake to remove excess. (If chocolate starts to thicken, place bowl over gently simmering water to thin.) Roll each square in coconut mixture, shake off excess and place on a wire rack (sitting over a tray). Stand until the chocolate sets then store in an airtight container. When serving, top with flakes of shaved white chocolate and the fresh cherries. You'll be the most popular person at Christmas.

http://www.dailylife.com.au/

17.12.14

Australia: The tale of Baron Lamington and an improvised cake

Baron Lamington

Australia's national cake and a national park were named after Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, second Baron of Lamington.

But as Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, m'lord upset ecologists by killing a koala, while lamington cakes turned out to be not to his taste at all.

The stories resurfaced recently when the Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, in Lamington National Park 75km south of Brisbane, opened its new Teahouse licensed cafe, replacing one that was destroyed by fire in 2005.

To celebrate the occasion, chef Ben Taylor produced what was hailed as the world's biggest lamington, a block of sponge cake coated with chocolate icing and dessicated coconut.

It measured 50cm high by 75cm long, which Taylor said was about 16 times the size of the cakes served in the Teahouse.

He used 32 cups of flour, 16 cups of icing sugar and a kilogram of coconut.

Queensland Tourism Minister Margaret Keech pronounced it a fine example of her favourite cake, and Binna Burra staff began talking about an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

But none of this, it seems, would have impressed Lord Lamington (1860-1940).

The story goes that, while visiting Harlaxton House in Toowoomba, the Governor had unexpected guests at teatime. The cupboard was bare apart from a stale sponge cake, so he asked the chef to improvise.

The chef chocolate-coated the sponge cake, cut it into 5cm squares and added shredded coconut because it was sticky. The result was the lamington, which he named after his vice-regal boss.

Although some reports say Lord Lamington approved of the taste (as did millions of Australians), he was reported to have referred to the cakes later as "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

Lord Lamington left a bad taste in everyone's mouth when Governor, by slaying a koala.

Invited to Binna Burra in 1899 by conservationists pushing for a national park, he had just begun his journey back to Brisbane when he ordered his carriage to stop: he had spotted a koala asleep high in a roadside tree.

Then he reached for his rifle, let loose one shot and it fell to earth dead, to the horror of his hosts.

One obituary of Lord Lamington referred to him as "an enthusiastic hunter", but this wasn't a deer in the Scottish Highlands whose antlers would be mounted over his fireplace.

You don't go around slaying a cuddly Australian icon (not declared a protected species until 1937), especially when you're a guest of conservationists.

The Governor later acknowledged his tragic mistake, saying remorsefully that the koala's "dying cries were terrible ... They haunted me for years".

Despite, or perhaps because of, the koala's death, Lord Lamington gave his support for Queensland national parks and what became Lamington National Park was declared a protected area in 1913.

What happened to the dead koala is not recorded.

The New Zealand Herald: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/

6.10.07

Alexandria set to be first location of raw chocolate dessert bar including Lamingtons

Pana founder Pana Barbounis is about to
open his raw chocolate shop in Alexandria.

SYDNEY is destined to get a raw chocolate dessert bar with an offering from Melbourne’s Pana Barbounis set to open in Alexandria in March.

To go into a communal space, alongside Bread & Circus, the bar will serve desserts using Barbounis’ premium chocolates and other raw ingredients.

With 2 per cent of Australian adults and 6 per cent of children having a food allergy and one in 10 babies born in Australia developing a food allergy in their lifetime, “free-from” foodies are seeking products without gluten, nut, dairy, sugar and even soy.

“It is also that choice that people are making,” Barbounis says. “Let’s try to have (a free-from) one or balance it a bit more.”

World-class chocolates and lamingtons on offer.

Pana founder Pana Barbounis is about to open his raw chocolate shop in Alexandria.Pana Chocolate is unrefined, raw chocolate, free from dairy, refined sugars, vegetable fats and uses all organic ingredients. While the bars are the hero of the company, Barbounis says the raw desserts have just been “a huge success”.

“In the fridge we are showcasing and extending the range with all bits of chocolates and delicacies,” he says, including his take on Snickers bar, the Wagon Wheel-like “Vespa Wheel”, a raspberry and chia seed chocolate bite plus the holey fudge with an almond and brazil nut butter centre. There will also be lamingtons and lemon slice at Alexandria.

While Pana sells in 19 countries, it is now more about the brand, says Barbounis who intends to launch other raw dessert bars in Australia, with long-term plans for London and LA.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au

16.12.14

Baker's Oven Choc Lamingtons recalled

Metcash Food & Grocery Ltd has recalled Baker’s Oven Choc Lamingtons 4 Pack from IGA and Independent stores in QLD, Northern NSW and WA due to Staphylococcus aureus contamination. 

Food products contaminated with Staphylococcus aureusmay cause illness if consumed. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Date notified to FSANZ

23/12/2014 

Food type

Lamingtons

Product name

Baker’s Oven Choc Lamingtons 4 Pack

Package description and size

Plastic tray flow wrapped in plastic film and a label applied to the top of the packet. 4 pack.

Date marking

Julian Code 43281 and 43282

Country of origin

Australia

Reason for recall

Staphylococcus aureus contamination

Distribution

IGA and Independent stores in QLD, Northern NSW and WA

Consumer advice

Food products contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus may cause illness if consumed. Any consumer concerned about their health should seek medical advice and should return the products to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Contact

Metcash Food & Grocery Ltd

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/

24.12.14

The humble Australian Lamington - Created in Queensland in 1901

Australian Lamington

THE WORLD-FAMOUS AUSTRALIAN CULINARY ICON NAMED AFTER THE GOVERNOR OF QUEENSLAND - LORD LAMINGTON.

The world-famous Australian lamington was 100 years old on 19 December 2001.

Despite some dubious claims from New Zealand, the lamington is as Australian as meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars, ranking alongside the other true Australian icons of the pavlova, peach melba and Vegemite.

This Australian culinary icon, which consists of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with fine desiccated coconut, was created through an accident at work by a maid-servant to Lord Lamington, the thoroughly-British eighth Governor of Queensland.

The maid-servant was working at Government House in Brisbane when she accidentally dropped the Governor's favourite sponge cake into some melted chocolate.

Lord Lamington was not a person of wasteful habits and suggested that it be dipped in coconut to cover the chocolate to avoid messy fingers.

Paul Tully celebrates
the 100th anniversary
of the world renowned
Australian lamington
on 19 December 2001

Lord Lamington devoured this new taste sensation with great delight and the maid-servant's error was proclaimed a magnificent success by all!

Lord Lamington was born in London, England on 29 July 1860 as Charles Wallace Alexander Napier COCHRANE-BAILLIE holding the aristocratic title of Baron Lamington.

He was Governor of Queensland from 9 April 1896 to 19 December 1901.

After leaving Queensland, he went on to become the Governor of Bombay in India for 4 years. He died at Lamington House, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1940.

According to Hansard page 728 at the Australian Constitutional Convention in Canberra on 11 February 1998, Cr Paul Tully, an elected delegate representing "Queenslanders for a Republic" suggested that his extensive research of the Governors of the 6 Australian colonies and states had produced evidence of only "one, single, solitary, positive achievement of any Governor since the First Fleet arrived in 1788" and that was Lord Lamington's contribution to the culinary delights of the Australian nation!

Lord Lamington served Queensland for 5 years but despite all of his colonial, aristocratic pomp and ceremony, the only thing which Charles Wallace Alexander Napier COCHRANE-BAILLIE will ever be remembered for in Australia is the creation of the world-famous lamington.

PAUL TULLY'S TRUE-BLUE DELICIOUS AUSSIE LAMINGTON RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup self-raising flour 1/2 cup milk.

Beat the eggs well, gradually adding the sugar until dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla essence and then stir in the self raising flour and whip the butter into the mixture. Pour the mixture into a cake tin or lamington baking dish and bake in a moderate oven of 180 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes and then stand for 24 hours preferably in the refrigerator, before applying the icing.

THE CHOCOLATE ICING

4 cups icing sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

4 tablespoons boiling water

3 cups desiccated coconut.

Stir the cocoa and icing sugar vigorously in a large bowl, adding the milk, butter and boiling water, warming the chocolate mixture over a very low heat until it has a smooth creamy texture. Cut the sponge cake into equal squares about 5cm x 5cm and, using a fork or thin skewer, dip each piece into the chocolate mixture ensuring that the mixture is liberally and evenly applied. Dip each piece into the desiccated coconut, allowing the lamingtons to cool on a wire tray for several hours.

THEN SIT BACK, RELAX AND SAVOUR THE DELIGHTS OF YESTERYEAR COURTESY OF LORD LAMINGTON'S ABSENT-MINDED MAID-SERVANT!

THANK GOD, THE LAMINGTON WAS NOT CHRISTENED THE "COCHRANE-BAILLIE".  IMAGINE ASKING FOR A "COCHRANE-BAILLIE" IN A CAKE SHOP!

Do you have an interesting historical anecdote about the Australian lamington?
Please email the Australian Lamington Official Website.

Creating a gigantic Australian Lamington - more than a mouthful!

This gigantic lamination triples the ratio of jam and cream to sponge making it at least 3 times as good!

The gigantic Australian lamington.

Super Food Ideas

Ingredients

12 eggs

2 cups caster sugar

1 cup plain flour

1 cup cornflour

1 cup strawberry jam

300ml tub thickened cream, whipped

225g packet moist coconut flakes, roughly chopped

Chocolate icing

3 cups icing sugar mixture

1 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/3 cup boiling water

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Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 170C/150C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 22cm-square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.

Step 2

Using an electric mixer, beat half the eggs and half the sugar together for 8 to 10 minutes or until thick and creamy (mixture should form ribbons when dripping off the beaters). Triple-sift half the flour and half the cornflour together. Sift flour mixture over egg mixture. Fold gently until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

Step 3

Bake for 50 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Turn sponge cake, top-side up onto a wire rack lined with baking paper. Cool completely. Repeat with remaining eggs, sugar, flour and cornflour to make a second sponge cake.

Step 4

Using a serrated knife, cut cakes in half horizontally. Place 1 cake half on serving plate. Spread with 1/3 cup jam. Top with 1/3 of cream. Top with a second cake half. Repeat layering with remaining cake halves, jam and cream, finishing with cake on top.

Step 5

Make Chocolate icing: Sift icing sugar and cocoa in a bowl. Add boiling water, stirring, to make a thick, spreadable icing, adding extra boiling water if necessary.

Step 6

Working on one side at a time, carefully spread icing all over cake. Sprinkle with coconut, pressing to secure. Refrigerate until set. Serve.

www.taste.com.au/recipes/37269/gigantic+lamington

YOU CALL THAT A LAMINGTON:

Paul Tully prepares to break the record for
the largest lamington in the world.

Delicacies from Down Under at Waltzing Matilda including Lamingtons

The Aussie Lamington 

Some pastries of different ilk - cronuts, macaroons, cupcakes - get their moment in the sun, but a really intriguing dessert that we recently encountered is the pavlova.

Laura Forer, of Waltzing Matilda’s Australian Bakery, makes delicacies from Down Under, including this beautiful dessert. Its provenance? 

Aussies and Kiwis both lay claim to it, but where there’s no doubt is how delicious it is.

A meringue base - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside - is topped by whipped cream and festooned with slices of strawberry, kiwi, and passionfruit (when in season). It’s beautiful to behold, which lends itself well to dignified luncheons, but a mess to eat, which adds some fun to those same dignified luncheons. 

Waltzing Matilda’s pavlovas come in a 9-inch size ($32, serves 6–8) as well as bite-sized.

Forer has to adjust constantly to keep the meringue’s texture just right, between summer’s humidity and winter’s dryness, and in-between seasons. Pavlovas are also gluten-free.

The online bakery is a godsend for expats from Australia and New Zealand. “It’s stuff your mom would have made in Australia.”

British influences abound—the Lamington ($4), a moist sponge cake that some like to dunk in coffee, resembles a sponge cake, has British roots. But it’s also rolled in fine coconut shreds, which is particular to its Pacific location. In Australia, rather than cookie bake sales, parents all over hold Lamington drives. 

Other sweets include the popular salted caramel slices ($12, 12 slices), with sprinkled sea salt; ANZAC biscuits ($12 for 12), whose history goes back to World War I, when they were baked and sent soldiers in the Australia New Zealand Army Corps; and gluten-free passionfruit cheesecake.

Waltzing Matilda operates as an online bakery and delivers as well as caters across the city. Some confections are also available at Treehaus, Thirsty Koala, Hotbread Almacen, and Bluestone Lane Coffee.

Waltzing Matilda

www.waltzingmatildasnyc.com

Weekly Top 'Toon: Lamington Song - Launchpad Toys

Weekly Top 'Toon: Lamington Song | Launchpad Toys:

This week’s Top ‘Toon comes from the land down under where, little did we know, Sponge Cakes are known as “Lamingtons“. 

This particular Sponge Cake… er, Lamington, has got to be the most extraordinarily interesting baked good this side of a Royal Wedding: not only does it have its own theme song, but it’s also an Astronaut, Pirate, King and, well, leader of an Auto-Tuned Barber Shop Quartet. 

Yes, AUTO-TUNED. That’s a first for ToonTube Ladies and Gentlemen. 

T-Pain eat your heart out.

Where can you get good Australian food in Seattle - including the Aussie Lamington?

Where Can You Get Good Australian Food in Seattle?

We asked Saffron Hodgson, the Seattle-based editor of Allrecipes Australia, to give her recommendations for the best Australian food in Seattle. Next up: Seattle’s Brazilian food.

Being a young country, Australia has a dynamic food culture based on those who have migrated there in 221 years since European settlement and from our Asian neighbors, so often I find myself craving a traditional English Roast Beef or Malaysian Laksa.

However there are some dishes that Australia has adopted and called her own. Many of these can now be found in Seattle. If you are looking for fine dining you are out of luck–these are real Aussie dishes, eaten by real Aussies in the suburbs for a mid-week meal.

The Kangaroo & Kiwi interior

On Aurora Avenue you find the Kangaroo and Kiwi Pub, which has a great Outback pub feel and traditional counter meals including pie floaters, lamb sandwiches and sausage rolls. With the good weather, a rugby match or Aussie Rules game, out comes the barbie to chuck on a few snags (sausages!–ed.) or some steak sandwiches.

Probably the most commonly craved midday items are a meat pie and lamington (sponge cake!–ed). This can require a bit of a long lunch run out to Burien to the Aussie Pie Company. When I make this trek I often buy a few frozen ones to chuck in the freezer for later (yes, us Aussies are a lazy bunch).

Weekends open up a slightly longer trip to Kent to the Australian-style fish and chips atNazes Seafood. We’re talking big steak-cut deep-fried chips–not French fries–the perfect side to battered fish fillets garnished with lemon and tartar sauce. They also do potato scallops, homemade lamingtons and provide traditional Aussie fish and chip shop hospitality.

If you are looking for something more specific like perfectly-cooked roast Australian lamb or a sticky date pudding for dessert, call in caterer and personal chef Melinda from Bread and Butter Catering. Her vast catering experience across Australia and ability to keep up with Australian food trends brings a little bit of modern Australian cuisine into your own home.

Lamingtons at Lexis Noosa - Spreading our culinary icon to the Japanese

The great Aussie lamington took a hammering from the crew of Japanese boys. 

The poor, old lamington will never look the same, however the girls prepared lamingtons that looked as though they had come out of our Mother’s kitchens – well done girls. 

Lots of fun was had making them and even more fun eating them!

Lamingtons at Lexis Noosa

Lamingtons - the national Australian treat

"Unofficial home of the coconut covered treat, Old Government House at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will play host to National Lamington Day."

Food-Full.com

Celebrations for Queensland icon - the Australian Lamington

The Australian lamington.

Break out the sponge cake, chocolate icing and coconut tonight – it’s National Lamington Day!

Australia celebrates its fifth National Lamington Day on 21st July, after the first day to honour the dessert was named in 2006.

The lamington has had a rich and contentious history, New Zealand and Australia still arguing over who first invented the spongy dessert.

But the controversial crumbs will be swept under the rug today as Australia celebrates the lamington, which earned its place with the Big Pineapple and the colour maroon as a Queensland icon in 2006.

Jeff Crawlford, a chef at Brisbane’s “The Boo” restaurant, said the trick to a perfect lamington was having the right ingredients.

“You need a really light sponge and good quality coconut,” he said.

Crawlford said he was a fan of the plain lamington but added it was just as important to have a good drink to go with the dessert.

“A really nice cup of tea – English or Irish Breakfast – or an ice cold glass of milk would be best,” he said.

Although Crawlford admitted he did not have a personal lamington recipe, he said he may have a go at reinventing the classic to honour the National Day.

Queensland’s Old Government House also joined the celebrations, with more than 250 people passing through the House on a lamington-themed tour. The first lamington was said to have been made at the George Street site in 1901 when a maid accidentally dropped the governor’s sponge cake into melted chocolate. The governor’s name? Lord Lamington.

Each of this year’s nine tours ended with a lamington treat for the guests, 520 lamingtons made for the occasion.

But these lamingtons were a little smaller than the one found in Toowoomba last month, the country town recently breaking the record for the World’s Biggest Lamington.

The lamington weighed 2361kgs and easily broke Ipswich’s 2009 record of 1320kg.

And while not everyone needs to make such a big lamington to celebrate the National Day, it is certain lamingtons will be the dessert of choice for many families tonight!

Celebrations for Queensland icon : newsbytes: "

A short history of the world famous Lamington

It shouldn't really be surprising that the lamington was invented by a Frenchman. Predictable, but deeply unsettling. After all, facing of the primacy of French cuisine, how could we find a food culture of our own? Australians could draw proudly on few dishes as a national icon.

Pies were invented by the Poms, as was ‘fish and chips’. Sausage rolls are German, and Bolognese is molto Italiano. Even the pavlova isn’t ours – like Crowded House and Russel Crowe, it’s from New Zealand.

So I had high hopes pinned on the lamington, that quintessentially Australian treat. For it’s not just Australian: it’s from Queensland!

It was a particularly hot summer in 1900, and Brisbane sweltered under a blanket of dank humidity. The Governor, Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron of Lamington, departed for his country house in Toowomba, cradling a dim hope that the mountains would provide some relief. He and Lady Lamington brought their staff along, including their renown chef Armand Gallad.

As was the fashion, myriad guests arrived to visit, and the Governor’s household put on great entertainment. Chef Gallad was kept busy baking and grilling in the kitchen, striving to feed the gourmet hordes.

One afternoon, in an effort to create a novel high tea, he dipped some leftover sponge cake into a light chocolate sauce, then rolled the resulting cakes in coconut. The effect was simple, but very elegant, and decidedly delicious.

Lord Lamington was impressed, almost as much as his guests. Several of the society ladies in attendance requested the recipe for this delectable new treat, and the chef, suitable chuffed, obliged. Next month, the recipe was published in the Queensland Ladies Home Journal, attributed as ‘Lady Lamington’s Chocolate-Coconut Cake’, soon after known by its diminutive, the lamington.

Today there are significant variations in the lamingtons you’ll find around Australia. In Queensland they are still made in the traditional way, while in Victoria and South Australia they are filed with jam. In WA, bakers slice the finished cake in half and fill it with mock cream. But for any version the key remains that you must start with a perfectly light sponge cake, and a chocolate syrup of the right consistency.

If you’ve never made a lamington before, then here’s your chance. Wednesday July 21st is National Lamington Day. To be honest, I’m unsure what it is celebrating, other than the lamington itself. But as any lamington aficionado will tend you, that’s a great festival in its own right.

Not entirely Aussie? Perhaps. But that’s the great thing about our fantastic country – we take the best of everywhere, and make them our own.

Want a recipe for a perfect lamington? Click here.

http://www.fast-ed.com.au/a-brief-history-of-lamingtons/

Bobbylicious: Lazy Sunday Lamington Baking

"Lazy Sunday Lamington Baking. I don't know what came over me to try and attempt this, but I did, and I did good! Who knew yummy lamingtons were so easy to bake? Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups of flour. 1 tbsp baking powder ..."

Bobbylicious: Lazy Sunday Lamington Baking

My First Lamington - Pacific Pie Company - Food Freaks Unite

Lamington: A traditional Australian dessert in the shape of a cube. Made of sponge cake that is coated with chocolate icing then sprinkled with coconut.  

An optional filling of jam or cream can be in between the layers of sponge cake. 

I consider myself a dessert aficionado but I’ve never even heard of these cakes before the fine folks at Pacific Pie Company brought these to my attention and expanded my dessert portfolio. 

I’m already a huge fan of their savory and sweet pasties and pies so when the staff told me about their upcoming Australian Day specials, I came back the next day to try them out.

I have to say I really liked this cake. I saved half of it for the next day and ended up eating it for breakfast with my coffee which complimented perfectly with the cake. 

 Why did I only eat half you might ask? Anyone who knows me can attest that I rarely leave any leftovers where dessert is concerned but this time I went all Miss Piggy and bought a peanut butter pie too. 

But back to the lamington…I would have personally wanted more jam filling but overall, it was a good dessert that I’m glad I got the chance to try. 

 It isn’t overly sweet so I’d probably eat it again for a breakfast snack rather than something to satisfy my sweet tooth. For that, I would get their dreamy creamy peanut butter pie. I’ve tried to only eat half of that pie but I have yet to be successful. Yes, it’s just that good. 

https://foodfreaksunite.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/my-first-lamington/

Toowoomba claims Lamington birth place

 Geoff McDonald and Julian Lancaster-Smith
 are adamant Toowoomba is the home of the lamington.

It is a bit of a sticky situation when it comes to the birth place of the iconic lamington, but Chamber of Commerce president Geoff McDonald was quick to squash Brisbane’s claim to lamington fame.

Today Australians celebrate their love of lamingtons with National Lamington Day and while there is no dispute over whom the chocolate and coconut cake is named after, the birth place of the lamington is surrounded by controversy.

Many believe the lamington was born in Toowoomba’s Harlaxton House when the Governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington, took his entourage to the city to escape the heat while others claim a chef at Queensland’s Government House, Armand Gallad, was called upon to produce something on short notice to feed unexpected guests.

Evidence compiled by University of Southern Queensland’s Professor Emeritus Maurice French suggested the lamington was created when Lord Lamington and his wife visited Toowoomba for a period during mid-December 1900 to mid-February, 1901.

Professor French stated if the lamington was a Harlaxton House concoction, it would have been from that particular period.

“We have only gone by documented evidence,” said Mr McDonald.

“We haven’t dreamt it up, we haven’t fabricated it.”

“Anyone who wants to take us on, do so at your own peril.”

Quality Desserts managing director Julian Lancaster-Smith said the people of Brisbane knew it was not right, but still they laid claim to the birth place of the lamington.

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/lamington-birthplace-toowoomba/911455/