Lamington
A sponge cake coated in chocolate icing and desiccated coconut, associated with Lord Lamington, Queensland's governor from 1896 to 1901 — traditionally credited to his household kitchen, though the exact inventor and the popular story of a maid dropping his favorite sponge into melted chocolate are unverified legend, not documented history; the earliest written link between the cake and his name dates only to 1927. A matching recipe was published in Queensland Country Life in December 1900, placing the cake's existence within his actual tenure even if the naming story itself can't be confirmed. Day-old, slightly stale sponge is genuinely the better base for dipping — fresh cake tends to crumble.
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg, Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 200g butter
- 200g sugar
- 4 eggs
- 300g self-raising flour
- 150ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 300g icing sugar
- 50g cocoa powder
- 50g butter (for icing)
- Hot water
- 300g desiccated coconut
Steps
- Bake a simple butter sponge in a square tin. Cool completely, ideally a day ahead.
- Cut the cooled sponge into squares.
- Make a thin chocolate icing from icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and hot water.
- Dip each square in the icing, then roll in desiccated coconut.
- Let set before serving.