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The Great Australian Lamington

The Great Australian Lamington
Lord Lamington Governor of Queensland - creator of the world-famous Australian Lamington.

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 is over a century old.

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! The Governor however is on the record as calling them "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits".

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!
© Paul Tully 2009


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




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


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.

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