Lamington Slice

When it comes to choosing a cake to make for afternoon tea, sometimes you just feel like an old favourite.  Lamingtons are usually a sure-fire hit with adults and kids alike and these are no exception. 

Unlike traditional lamingtons where you bake the sponge and then ice them the next day, this can all be done in one hit.  And when you think about it, they are ever so slightly healthier than normal ones as the chocolate icing is only on the top and not the whole way around. Believe me you don’t feel like you’re missing out though. 

I used a cake tin that was a little bit too big, and my icing was a little too runny.  This meant that my chocolate icing seeped right through the whole sponge.  This wasn’t a bit problem (they still tasted good) but I would recommend using a smaller square tin (20cm x 20cm) so that the sponge will rise higher and I have adjusted the recommended amount of water for the icing.

These are lovely and moist, and have the lamington taste that you know and love.  In the words of my gorgeous 2-year old nephew, it’s a ‘yummy cake!’

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1¼ cups plain flour

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

½ cup milk

1 cup shredded coconut

Chocolate icing

¾ cup icing sugar

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

¼  cup boiling water

20g unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat your oven to 160°C.  Spray a 20cm x 20cm tin with cooking oil and line with baking paper.

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and beat again until combined. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix well along with the milk.

Pour into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool for 10 minutes while you make the chocolate icing. 

Place all of the ingredients for the icing into a large bowl and mix to combine.  Note that you may not need to use all of the hot water.  If it looks too runny, add more icing sugar.

Cut the cake into squares, pour the icing over the top and then sprinkle with the coconut to finish.