Lamingtons - the quintessential Aussie snack for morning (or afternoon) tea. Blog statistics gave a rather sorry picture that the last "new"post I had in this blog was almost a year ago. While I have been trying a few different things a lot has been happening and couldn't get to post recipes. So here I am again with my next post and I hope I can be a bit more regular here. The Lamingtons - history states that this was actually an accident done by a maid at Lord Lamington's residence in Queensland in the early 1900s. Since then it has made it's way to become an Aussie icon. It's a rather simple dessert to make as well. This was prepared by kids for the most part BTW. :) So without further ado...

Ingredients

1. Eggs - 4
2. Sugar - 150 gms
3. Vanilla essence - 1 tea spoon
4. Plain flour - 140 gms
5. Baking powder - 1 tea spoon
6. Salt - a pinch
7. Butter - 150 gms
8. Chocolate chips - 220 gms 
9. Heavy Cream - 3 table spoons
10. Desicated coconut - 100 gms

The Method

1. Pre-heat the oven at 170 deg C.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar for a good 10-15 minutes until you get a nice pale foamy mix.
3. Sift through the plain flour, baking powder and salt and mix it up slowly along with the vanilla essence.
4. Pour the batter in a square pan lined with baking paper. 
5. Bake the cake at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes. Stop when you can pierce a tooth pick in the middle and it comes out clean and dry.
6. While the cake is baking boil water in a pan. 
7. Place a ceramic or glass bowl on top of the pan and add the chocolate, butter and cream.
8. Keep stirring until you get a smooth ganache.
9. Set aside and let it cool once you have a smooth ganache.
10. Once the sponge cake is baked, let is rest in a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.
11. Strip off the sides of the cake and make an even square (or rectangle) based on the shape of your pan.
12. Cut them up into size of your preference - maybe about 1.5 inches
13. Dip the cut up sponge cake in the chocolate ganache and rest them in the wire rack. (Ensure you keep a plate under the wire rack).
14. Spread the desicated coconut in a plate. 
15. Coat the ganache coated cake with desicated coconut on all sides.

Fresh Lamgintons are now ready to be relished.

Enjoy!!

C