
Delicious lamingtons
On January 26th, Australians celebrate Australia Day. It’s a national holiday and a time where communities stop to recognise those young and old who have made a contribution to the town or city they live in. Where Kate and I grew up in Minyip, they have a breakfast in the Main Street cooked by the local Lions Club (our Father’s likely to be cooking) and present awards to worthy winners. I’m really proud that Mum and Dad won citizens of the year two years ago, after 50 years of service to committees and local volunteer work, their accolade was well deserved.
To celebrate Australia day, we are sharing Mum’s lamington recipe. The original recipe was given to my Mum by a local lady that we only knew as Mrs Petering. There’s something endearing when I think back to how women in local communities shared recipes and information, as I’m certain this recipe would have been passed on written on a piece of paper stained with cocoa and not emailed or posted on Pinterest.
Lamington’s are traditional small cakes, soaked in cocoa and then rolled in desiccated coconut. As kids, they were a staple after school snack in the Tupperware containers. We are delighted to be sharing a recipe that has been passed down to great women for decades. Enjoy x
Special note: Thanks to Mum and Jenni Miller for organising photos. x
Lamingtons

Mum's recipe book
6 eggs,
2 cups plain flour,
1 ½ cups sugar,
2 teaspoons cream of tartar,
½ teaspoon bi- carbonate soda,
8 tablespoons milk (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups desiccated coconut
METHOD
Melt butter. Beat egg whites and sugar add yolks and beat well. Add sifted flour and cream of tartar and melted butter. Put soda in boiling milk and add to mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched lightly in the centre and comes away from side of pan. Turn cake onto a wire rack to cool.
Cut the cake into 20 even pieces
CHOCOLATE ICING
4 2/3 cups (750g) icing sugar mixture
1/2 cup cocoa powder
20g soft butter
3/4 cup milk
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a large heatproof bowl; add the butter and milk; stir over a medium saucepan of simmering water until icing is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Divide icing mixture into 2 small bowls.
Place coconut in a shallow bowl.
Using a large fork, dip each piece of cake briefly into icing until cake is coated in icing. Hold over bowl to drain off any excess. Dip half the cake pieces in one bowl of icing and the other half in the second bowl of icing. (Separating the icing into two bowls is a good idea, as cake crumbs will thicken the icing and make it difficult to use.) If the icing becomes too thick, stand it over hot water while dipping, or reheat gently with a little more milk. If necessary, strain the icing into a clean bowl.
Toss cake gently in coconut. Transfer cake to a wire rack; stand until set.
6 eggs,
2 cups plain flour,
1 ½ cups sugar,
2 teaspoons cream of tartar,
½ teaspoon bi- carbinate soda,
8 tablespoons milk (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups desiccated coconut
Method
Melt butter. Beat egg whites and sugar add yolks and beat well. Add flour and cream of tartar and melted butter. Put soda in boiling milk and add to mixture. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes or until sponge springs back when touched lightly in the centre and comes away from side of pan. Turn cake onto a wire rack to cool.
Cut the cake into 20 even pieces
CHOCOLATE ICING
4 2/3 cups (750g) icing sugar mixture
1/2 cup cocoa powder
20g soft butter
3/4 cup milk
Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a large heatproof bowl; add the butter and milk; stir over a medium saucepan of simmering water until icing is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Divide icing mixture into 2 small bowls.
Place coconut in a shallow bowl.
Using a large fork, dip each piece of cake briefly into icing until cake is coated in icing. Hold over bowl to drain off any excess. Dip half the cake pieces in one bowl of icing and the other half in the second bowl of icing. (Separating the icing into two bowls is a good idea, as cake crumbs will thicken the icing and make it difficult to use.) If the icing becomes too thick, stand it over hot water while dipping, or reheat gently with a little more milk. If necessary, strain the icing into a clean bowl.
Toss cake gently in coconut. Transfer cake to a wire rack; stand until set.