Lamingtons

I'm not sure why, but the idea of making lamingtons has been in the back of my mind for a few years. I can't really explain it. I believe I saw a YouTube video of someone making them during the days of isolation in 2020. And then, of course, once you watch one lamington video, the algorithm rips the rug out from under you and you plummet down the rabbit hole. While I didn't recall eating them before, they reminded me of other desserts involving coconut that I'd seen as a child. And they certainly seemed like the sort of dessert Newfoundlanders would appreciate -- a layer of jam inside, the outside coated in coconut. In the words of Ina Garten, how bad can that be? 

When I started looking into recipes, I stumbled upon one by Barry Parsons who shares Newfoundland recipes on his Rock Recipes site. According to him, these creations were popular in Newfoundland during the 1960s and called chocolate coconut cake squares. And they weren't limited to one flavour -- raspberry and strawberry variations were common. Indeed, its the pink cake coated in coconut that I member seeing when I was young. Parsons also provides a lemon variation that sounds delicious! Decision made! Lamingtons would be this year's "cake" for a friend's upcoming birthday brunch. 

I chose to make the Cupcake Jemma recipe because I believe that's where I first saw them being made, but opted to add the jam layer that I'd seen in other variations. I started this culinary adventure on a Wednesday night, when I made the cake. First I mixed the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then I folded in the flour and baking powder. Finally, I add the melted butter. I poured the thick batter into an 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper and popped it into the oven for 25 minutes. Once a toothpick came out clean, I transferred the cake to a cooling rack before wrapping it well and setting it in the fridge overnight. 

The adventure continued on Thursday evening. I torted the cake using a Wilton cake leveler and filled it with seedless raspberry jam, taking care not to add so much that the layers would slide around. Then I wrapped it well and popped it back in the fridge to chill.

On Friday, I made the chocolate icing. What's that you say? More butter? Did Julia Child write this recipe? Once the icing was glossy and fluid, I cut my cake into 9 pieces and trimmed off the caramelization. I dipped each one into the icing, followed by the coconut, and placed it on a cake rack while I coated the remaining pieces. I kept three pieces coconut-free for my boyfriend (and other coconut naysayers). Then I returned them one more time to the fridge to fully set. 

Initially, I admit, I was a little concerned about serving lamingtons as birthday cake. I was primarily worried that they would be too small and look more like the squares you see at a church social. But once dipped in chocolate and coated in coconut, they looked much more substantial. The result? A delicious buttery cake with a slightly tart jam layer in the centre, surrounded by super sweet icing balanced by a coating of unsweetened coconut. The cake was more dense than I'd anticipated (I'd been expecting more of a sponge cake), but that may be a result of the particular recipe I chose. 

As for the leftover chocolate icing, it made the perfect base for a decadent hot cocoa!

See you next week!