Lamington cakes are an Australian treasure. They are squares of yellow sponge cake, which often have a layer of jam or cream in the the center. They are then dipped in a chocolate icing and rolled in coconut. Lamingtons are often sold at fundraisers for schools or charity groups, known as “lamington drives”. Making the individual lamingtons can be a little tricky, so we are sharing a Lamington Cake Recipe for a single 8 inch cake. If you are feeling adventurous, you can cut the cake into 16 pieces and make individual cakes. If you do that, you will need to double the ganache icing and coconut.

Ingredients for cake

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/3 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam (optional)

Ingredients for ganache icing

• 8 ounces (1 1/3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Coconut topping

• 1 cup desiccated coconut or sweetened flaked coconut

FYI… I decided to be adventurous and make individual lamingtons. The picture below was the result. It was after this massively humbling experience that I decided to share a recipe for a single cake. 😉

Lamington Cake Recipe Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 8 inch square baking pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugar with mixer until little and fluffy. Beat in 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing only enough to get them combined.

In a separate bowl add cake flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk for a minute to ensure the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Alternate adding milk and dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture in 3 batches. Mix after each addition to combine. Do not over beat.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 28 – 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Alas, a phone call caused our cake to over bake a bit!)

When done, cool in pan for 5 minutes then invert on a wire rack and remove parchment paper. Allow to cool.

If you would like to place jam in the middle of your cake, cut the cake in half with a serrated knife creating two layers. Carefully remove the top of the cake.

Spread jam on the bottom layer then return the top. You can place a couple of toothpicks in diagonal corners to stop the top from shifting while you are icing the cake.

If you are using sweetened flaked coconut, you may need to chop it a little finer if the pieces are large or long.

To make the ganache icing, place the chocolate chips in a bowl that you can cover. (A plate works just fine!)

Stirring occasionally, heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat.

Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips, making sure all the chips are covered. Cover bowl with a lid and let stand for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid. Using a whisk, mix the cream and chocolate chips until the mixture is smooth and velvety.

Allow the ganache to sit until the mixture can coat a spoon. This may only take a minute or 5 minutes. Note: If you wait too long it will become too thick to pour. If that does happen you can refrigerate for 20 minutes, then whisk it and spread it like a normal frosting.

Sorry… I am missing the pics of icing the cake. I was so caught up in the moment. Oops!

To ice the cake, leave cake on the cooling rack and place the rack inside a pan with edges. (Jelly roll pans work great!) Starting in the center of the cake, begin slowly pouring the icing, moving out to the edges in a circular motion. Allow the icing to drip down the sides. If you need more icing you can use the icing pools in the jelly roll pan. If there are any areas on the side of the cake that did not get iced, use a knife to spread the icing on those spots.

Remove toothpicks. Sprinkle coconut on the top of the cake and pat it on the sides of the cake.

Let cake sit until the icing sets. Then cut the cake into 16 pieces.