Lamingtons

By msippigrl

Cubes of vanilla cake are dipped in heated chocolate frosting then rolled in desiccated coconut. Use your own favorite homemade cake and frosting recipes (or use store bought mixes/frosting). Desiccated coconut (dried, unsweetened coconut) can usually be found in health food stores or online if not available at your local grocer. For a homemade recipe and origin of the Australian culinary icon use this link: http://australianlamingtons.blogspot.com/2015/05/australian-lamington-delightful.html.

Ingredients

• Cubed vanilla cake*
• Chocolate frosting, warmed
• Desiccated coconut

Preparation

Step 1

*I used Betty Crocker Pound Cake mix that I baked the day before and refrigerated overnight. The next day, I removed the crusts and cut cake into 1 1/2" cubes then froze them for several hours before making the Lamingtons.

**I could not find any desiccated coconut locally so I had to use regular sweetened flaked coconut. To dry it out, I preheated the oven to 100° F. then immediately turned it off. Then I laid the coconut out in a single layer on a large jellyroll pan and placed in the warm oven for a couple of hours. Then I ground it to a finer texture in a food processor.

Below is the Chocolate Frosting I used if you need a quick and easy recipe:

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No-fail Chocolate Frosting

1 (1 lb) box confectioners powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1 stick (1/2 c) margarine or salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/3 boiling water

In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients and beat on low speed of a mixer until incorporated, then beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Any leftover frosting freezes well in a plastic ziptop bag.

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To make the Lamingtons:

Place the coconut in a shallow bowl. Place a piece of waxed paper on the counter or on a baking sheet.

Heat the frosting in a small 1-qt. non-stick saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it's thin enough for dipping the cake.

Working on one at a time, dip a cake cube in the melted frosting, moving around with a spoon or fork to coat all sides. Remove from frosting with a fork, letting the excess frosting drip back into the pot. Immediately, roll it in the coconut then place on the waxed paper to set. (I kept the frosting on the burner at the lowest setting to keep the frosting from thickening back up. It may need to be stirred after each dipping.)

Allow time for the frosting to harden before serving.