Lamington recipe that’s easier than it looks

I made lamingtons for the first time on a rainy Tuesday when I had eggs to use up and no particular plan.

I’d seen them around for years — those little squares of sponge cake in their chocolate coating and coconut shell — and always assumed they were fussier than they looked. The dipping part seemed messy. The coconut rolling seemed tedious. I put them off for a long time.

I should not have put them off. This lamington recipe takes about an hour start to finish, makes 16 squares, and produces something that disappears from the plate faster than almost anything else I bake. The coconut sticks. The chocolate sets. The strawberry jam in the middle makes the whole thing.

What a lamington actually is

A lamington is an Australian classic: a square of light sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut. Most versions include a layer of jam in the middle, which adds moisture and a slight tartness that balances the sweetness of the chocolate coating.

They’re sold in bakeries and coffee shops all over Australia and New Zealand, and they turn up at school fetes and bake sales so reliably that they’ve become a kind of cultural shorthand for a certain kind of unpretentious, reliably good home baking. The Guardian has a good piece on their history if you want the full story.

The version here uses a simple butter sponge rather than a traditional chiffon base. It’s slightly denser but holds together better when you’re dipping, which matters more than it sounds when you’re working with warm chocolate icing.

The sponge is lighter than you think

The key to the sponge in a good lamington recipe is beating the eggs and sugar properly before anything else goes in. You’re looking for a mixture that’s pale, slightly thick, and has roughly doubled in volume. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes with a hand mixer. It’s the air you’re beating in that keeps the crumb light.

The flour goes in next, folded rather than stirred. Use a wide spatula and fold from the bottom of the bowl upward in slow, deliberate strokes. Aggressive stirring deflates the air you just built in.

The butter and milk mixture goes in last. The trick here is to temper it first: scoop a small amount of the batter into the butter mixture, stir to combine, then pour it back into the main bowl. This prevents the warm butter from deflating the batter by bringing the temperatures closer together before they meet.

The chocolate icing for the best lamington recipe

This is not a ganache or a glaze. It’s a thinner, more fluid coating made from powdered sugar, cocoa, melted butter, and milk. It sets to a soft finish rather than a hard shell, which is what makes lamingtons soft to bite into rather than crunchy.

The consistency matters. Too thick and it won’t coat evenly. Too thin and it drips off before the coconut has a chance to stick. You’re looking for something that coats the back of a spoon and falls in a slow, steady stream. Add milk a teaspoon at a time to adjust if needed.

Work quickly when you’re dipping. Use two forks to hold the cake square and lower it into the icing, turning to coat all sides, then lift it out and let the excess drip off for a few seconds before dropping it into the coconut.

Lamington recipe

Makes 16 squares | Prep: 20 min | Bake: 30–35 min | Assemble: 20 min

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 4 eggs
• 120g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar
• 135g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour, sifted
• 35g (2½ tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 50g (3½ tbsp) whole milk
• 2g (½ tsp) vanilla extract
• 4–5 tbsp strawberry jam

For the chocolate icing:

• 250g (2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
• 35g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder, sifted
• 25g (1¾ tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
• 130g (½ cup) whole milk, warmed

To finish:

• 150g (2 cups) desiccated coconut, fine

Instructions

Make the sponge:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Grease a 20x20cm (8×8 inch) square baking tin and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides.
2. Beat eggs and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture is pale, thick, and roughly doubled in volume.
3. Sift the flour over the egg mixture. Fold in gently with a wide spatula, using slow strokes from the bottom of the bowl upward. Stop when no dry streaks remain.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the batter into this bowl and stir to combine. Pour the butter mixture back into the main bowl and fold in gently until just incorporated.
5. Pour batter into the prepared tin. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment and cool completely on a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before you cut and assemble.

Assemble:

7. Once completely cool, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake in half horizontally. Spread strawberry jam over the bottom layer, then place the top layer back on. Press down gently.
8. Cut the filled cake into 16 even squares (4 rows of 4).

Make the chocolate icing:

9. Whisk together sifted powdered sugar and cocoa in a wide bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir melted butter into warm milk. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. The icing should be fluid enough to pour from a spoon in a slow, steady stream.

Coat the lamingtons:

10. Spread the coconut in a shallow tray next to the icing bowl.
11. Working with one square at a time, use two forks to lower a cake square into the chocolate icing. Turn to coat all sides. Lift out and let excess drip off for 5 to 10 seconds, then place directly into the coconut.
12. Spoon coconut over the top and sides and press lightly to adhere. Transfer to a wire rack.
13. Repeat with remaining squares. Let rest for at least 30 minutes before eating so the icing can set.

Storage

Keep lamingtons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They taste better after they’ve rested for a few hours — the icing softens the coconut slightly and the flavors settle.

Tips and variations

The jam: Strawberry is traditional. Raspberry jam works just as well and adds a slightly more tart note. Blueberry jam is less traditional but very good.

The coconut: Fine desiccated coconut adheres more evenly than coarser shredded coconut. If you can only find coarser coconut, pulse it briefly in a food processor.

Adding coffee to the icing: Dissolve half a teaspoon of instant espresso powder in the warm milk before mixing the icing. It deepens the chocolate flavor without tasting of coffee.

Working ahead: The sponge can be baked a day in advance, wrapped tightly, and stored at room temperature. Coat and coconut-roll the day you plan to serve them.

If you want to try another Australian-style bake, the coconut brings to mind the cranberry orange scones — different aesthetic entirely, but the same kind of satisfying result from simple ingredients.