Mar 19 2008
Lovely Lamingtons
Lamingtons are incredibly popular in Australia. So popular that the cakes are a favourite means of raising money and have spawned a new Australian term—Lamington Drive.
This is an organised effort by a school, community group, or charity to make lamingtons in mind-boggling quantities and sell them to the lamington-starved populace in order to raise money.
The late (and sadly missed) John Hepworth, writing about ‘the dreaded Pavlova’ and ‘the even more dreaded Lamington’ , once revealed the following appalling facts about a lamington drive in the ‘cataplexic Melbourne suburb of Camberwell’.
He stated that the mothers (sisters, cousins, and aunts too, surely) of the Camberwell South Scout Troop made, and sold, well nigh a quarter of a million (19,040 dozen or 228,480) of ‘the little furry buggers’ in as little as a day and a half. That’s three times more than we ever managed in Pascoe Vale South.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170 grams) sugar
- 2 ounces (60 grams) butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/4 cup (65 mls) milk
- 8 ounces (220 grams) self raising flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 cup icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
- 1 dessertspoon cocoa
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
Method
- Cream sugar and butter together
- Stir in vanilla to blend
- Add eggs and milk alternately with the sifted flour
- Pour the mixture into a lamington tray - an 11 x 9 inch baking pan
- Bake in a moderate 375° F (185° C) oven for about 30-40 minutes
Icing
- When the cake is quite cold, cut into two inch squares
- Mix the hot water with icing sugar and cocoa
- Place coconut into a shallow tray.and dip into the chocolate icing then roll each cube in the desiccated coconut until well coated.
Eat. Or hand them over for the Lamington Drive
Like to shout me a cold beer?
