Lamington
Squares of plain sponge cake dipped in a thin chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut, so every side is coated in a snowy, textured crust around a soft crumb.
About this dish
Lamington is widely believed to be named after Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, with a popular story crediting his French chef with inventing the dip-and-coat method when unexpected guests needed cake served in a hurry — a story historians treat with real skepticism, since no contemporary evidence of the chef's existence has surfaced. Whatever the truth, lamingtons became genuinely national, celebrated with their own day (21 July) and traditionally sold at school and community fundraisers, which is exactly the kind of unglamorous, communal role that cemented them as an Australian classic rather than a novelty.
- Vegetarian
- Not vegan because of Unsalted butter, Eggs, Whole milk
- Contains gluten because of Plain flour
- Contains dairy because of Unsalted butter, Whole milk
Ingredients
- 250gPlain flour
- 8gBaking powder
- 125gUnsalted butter
- 180gCaster sugar
- 3piecesEggs
- 5mlVanilla extract
- 150mlWhole milk
- 350gIcing sugar
- 40gUnsweetened cocoa powder
- 150gDesiccated coconut
- 2gFine sea salt
Instructions
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time with the vanilla extract.
10 minTip: Beat until genuinely pale and fluffy, not just combined — this whips air into the batter that the baking powder alone can't provide, and it's what keeps the sponge light.
Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt alternately with the milk, then pour into a lined tin and bake at 180°C for 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely, then cut into squares.
25 minTip: The sponge must be completely cool, ideally a day old, before cutting and dipping — a warm or fresh sponge crumbles apart the moment it's dipped in wet icing.
Whisk the icing sugar, cocoa powder and enough milk together to make a thin, pourable chocolate icing.
5 minTip: Keep the icing genuinely thin, almost watery — a thick icing clumps the coconut instead of letting a fine, even layer stick to the sponge.
Dip each square of sponge into the icing to coat all sides, letting the excess drip off, then roll immediately in the desiccated coconut. Let set on a wire rack before serving.
5 minTip: Work one square at a time and coconut it immediately after dipping — icing sets fast, and a square left too long before rolling won't hold the coconut properly.