Pink Lamingtons

Name: Pink Lamingtons
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 250g of unsalted butter, at room temperature; 300g of caster sugar; 4 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 500g of self-raising flour; 1 pinch of salt; 250ml of milk; 385g of icing sugar; 125ml of milk; 20g of unsalted butter, finely diced; pink food colouring; 250g of shredded coconut; 250ml of double cream; 15g of icing sugar; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 4 tbsp of raspberry jam

by Claire Clark

Item 1 of 1

Snack
easy
Makes 12
45 minutes

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Claire Clark shares her recipe for Lamingtons, a classic Australian sweet treat. Little squares of soft sponge cake are rolled in icing and desiccated coconut, then filled with the delicious combination of whipped cream and raspberry jam.

First published in 2016

Pretty as a picture, these pink cakes originate from Australia. There is some controversy about their origins. Some say they were named after Baron Lamington, the Governor of Queensland from 1895 to 1901. Others think that Lady Lamington, patron of a famous cooking school in Brisbane, was so admired that the cookery teacher, Amy Shauer, named them after her. I like this version of events, as Baron Lamington didn’t even like cake and was apparently a rather grumpy man. Traditionally the cakes are chocolate and coconut, filled with a layer of plum jam, but I love this pink version and they can be adapted to several flavours. I have used raspberry jam here but strawberry, redcurrant and, of course, plum all work a treat. For extra texture, these are filled with fresh cream too.

This recipe is from Claire Clark’s book 80 Cakes From Around the World(Absolute Press, £20).

Photography by Jean Cazals.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Batter

250g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
300g of caster sugar
4 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
500g of self-raising flour
1 pinch of salt
250ml of milk

Icing

385g of icing sugar
125ml of milk
20g of unsalted butter, finely diced
pink food colouring
250g of shredded coconut

Filling

250ml of double cream
15g of icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp of raspberry jam

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Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3.5. Grease a 3cm deep 17cm x 27cm baking tin and line the base with baking parchment

Place the butter and sugar in a food mixer and mix until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract

Sift the flour and salt together and fold them in alternately with the milk, starting and finishing with the flour. Be careful not to over-mix the batter

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and level the surface with a palette knife. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the cake is well risen and golden and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger. Leave to cool in the tin, then remove from the tin and leave in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up

Cut the sponge into 12 equal-sized pieces with a long serrated knife. Sift the icing sugar into a heatproof bowl and slowly add the milk, whisking to keep the mixture smooth

Add the butter. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. Stir continuously for 3–4 minutes, until the icing is hot

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in a little pink colouring. Dip each Lamington, one at a time, into the icing, using a spatula to lift them out

Place the shredded coconut in a mixing bowl. Ensure any excess icing has drained off each Lamington, then roll the them in the coconut. Lift them onto a tray lined with baking parchment and leave for 2 hours to firm and set

To make the filling, place the vanilla, icing sugar and double cream in a bowl and whisk to medium peaks. It should be a thick enough consistency to spread. Cut each cake in half and spread a layer of raspberry jam and whipped cream on each half

Sandwich the Lamingtons back together and serve. Once filled, eat within 3 days. The unfilled cakes can be frozen for 3 months

First published in 2016

Claire Clark

Claire Clark is regarded as one of the top three pastry chefs in the world. Claire is now a freelance chef consultant based in London.

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