Lamingtong . Exquisite sweet recipe typical of Australia . It was named after Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1895 to 1901. It is a type of sponge cake or sponge cake in the shape of a cube, covered with a chocolate glaze and sprinkled with grated coconut .
Summary
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- 1 Origin
- 1 Description of the sweet
- 2 Ingredients to use
- 3 Preparation
- 4 Preparation method for Glaze
- 5 Explanatory note
- 2 Sources
Origin
It is argued that this fine sweet is due to Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington GCMG GCIE, born on July 29, 1860, in London , England and died on September 16, 1940, in Lanarkshire, Scotland . He was a British politician and colonial administrator who was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901 and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907.
Although we know that these cupcakes are named after him, Lamingtons, it is not clear who came up with the idea of dipping biscuit dices in chocolate and coating them with grated coconut , but the truth is that they are delicious.
Description of the sweet
Lamington is the classic Australian pie
Fluffy cube-shaped cake, covered with a sugary chocolate- based topping and sprinkled with grated coconut . Sometimes lamingtons are served as two halves with a layer of cream or strawberry jam between them, and are common to find in Australian cafes, bars, pastries and supermarkets .
The raspberry variety is more common in New Zealand , while the lemon version prevails in Australia.
Lamingtons are also made in Cleveland and Los Angeles , although they are known there as coconut bars and can be added with rum . In South Africa they are called and stervarkies which are smaller in size than the Australians and in the Balkans they have a similar sweetness called Čupavci.
Ingredients to use
- Biscuit
- 200 g of flour.
- 200 g of sugar.
- 100 g of butter.
- 100 ml of milk.
- 3 eggs.
- 2 teaspoons of chemical yeast.
- Vanilla extract.
- Glazed
- 400 g of icing sugar.
- 50 g of defatted cocoa powder.
- 50 g of butter.
- 100 ml of milk.
- Grated coconut to coat.
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Butter a square cake pan of approximately 20 cm.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Mix butter and sugar with a mixer in a separate bowl until fluffy and light in color.
- Add the eggs one by one to the butter and sugar mixture, then beat well until everything is well mixed.
- Add the vanilla to the mixture and stir until completely incorporated.
- Use a spatula to alternately add the flour and milk, in three additions, starting and ending with the flour.
- Pour the mixture into the mold and distribute it evenly.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick or matchstick and verify that it comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then unmold it on a wire rack to cool.
- Cut into squares according to the desired size once the cake has already cooled. Then put them in an airtight container and leave them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or even overnight.
Preparation method for Glaze
- Place the flower sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heat resistant container over a pot of boiling water (in a water bath).
- Stir until mixture is smooth, but still a little thick. The mixture should not be liquid, otherwise the frosting will be too thin and the sponge cake will not absorb it.
For the chocolate glaze, we melt the butter in a bain-marie. Add the glace sugar along with the sifted cocoa . Finally we add the milk and cook for a few minutes in a bain-marie, stirring occasionally and until we observe that we get a creamy texture. Remove from heat and let cool.
Now we can cut the cake into regular 5 Cm squares. To make it easier for us to cut the lamingtons, we can cool the cake in the fridge and even freeze it if we find it very difficult. Also, the colder the cake the better it will be covered with the chocolate glaze.
We pass each square through the chocolate glaze and sprinkle them well with the grated coconut. We let them dry on a rack and we can already enjoy them. If we want to keep them, they can last several days stored in an airtight container.
Disclaimer
Lamingtons can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days. When the glaze is made, it can drain on the mold, therefore it can be reused on the other biscuits. If the frosting becomes too thick, it must be reheated in a water bath. This can happen a couple of times during arming.
