Lamingtons

About this dish

Named after Lord Lamington, Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, these chocolate-and-coconut squares are a bake-sale legend. Our version keeps the sponge light and the chocolate coating thin enough to coat without overwhelming.

Ingredients

• 125g butter, softened
• ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1¾ cups (265g) self-raising flour
• ½ cup (125ml) milk
• 3 cups (270g) desiccated coconut
• For the icing: 2 cups (320g) icing sugar, sifted; ⅓ cup (35g) cocoa powder; ⅓ cup (80ml) milk; 30g butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.
2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
3. Fold in flour and milk alternately in two batches until smooth. Spread into the tin and level the top.
4. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Trim the crusts and cut the sponge into 16 squares. Freeze for 30 minutes — this makes coating much easier.
6. Whisk icing ingredients together until smooth. Place coconut in a shallow dish.
7. Using two forks, dip each sponge square into the icing, let excess drip off, then roll in coconut. Set on a wire rack to set.

Chef's tips

For a twist, split the lamingtons horizontally and sandwich with a little strawberry jam and whipped cream.