Australian Lamingtons – we love them!
I confess. I’m a lover of lamingtons. But not just any lamington, and certainly not those dry substitutes you buy from the supermarket. I’m talking about the delicious chocolatey ones filled with jam and cream./
This soft fluffy sponge with a soaking of chocolate smothered in coconut, makes my mouth water. I’m sure I’ve had dreams about lamingtons, and if my boyfriend is trying to bribe me, it’s always lamingtons he offers.
As I child I remember watching my mum create magical wonders in her kitchen. From savoury to sweets, she was the queen of baking. Her toffees were just the right hardness. Her cakes just the right softness. Her curries perfectly curried. Her sausage rolls were to die for. She could roast a chicken better than any colonel could. But the peak of her culinary delights was the lamington.
These big square slabs of joy were perfectly baked then dipped in a smooth mix of chocolate sauce which dried to a just-right crunch after being dipped in a sea of coconut. Often, they were filled with home-made jam and cream made from farm-fresh milk from a friend’s cow. These were decadent days before waistlines were a worry for eight-year-old girls.
Lamington History
Our friends across the ditch have tried to claim the lamington as their own since The Guardian’s April Fool’s joke in 2014. (1) But we’re onto you. You’ve tried to steal Australia’s claim to the pavlova, you’re not taking our lamingtons too.
But there is debate over who made the first lamington. My favourite of the theories is the one about Lord Lamington’s (Qld governor 1896-1901) maid. This butterfingered employee accidentally dropped a slice of cake into a bowl of chocolate glaze, prompting Lord Lamington to declare food waste a bad thing, dip it into some coconut and let’s eat. Either fondly or not, the Lord described them as ‘bloody poofy woolly biscuits’ (I wish that name had stuck!). The mystery of the birth of lamingtons has been pondered by so many bakery buffs, that a book has been written about it.(2)
Our Aussie delicacy has some international cousins. You be the judge.(3,4,5) Are they as tempting as our homegrown version? I haven’t seen one in the Australian jam and cream version yet, so I think not.
My mum is no longer capable of making lamingtons, and it’s been a long time since I made an attempt. A while ago, I was taken back in time when my youngest daughter surprised me with a home-made batch of lamingtons – just like those her nan used to make. I have grandkids now, so I guess it’s time I mastered the art of the lamington. But failing that, I’m ever so thankful our local bakery makes the best bloody poofy woolly biscuits in town.
Further Reading
- https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/01/lamington-invented-in-new-zealand-new-research-proves-beyond-doubt
- https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/discovery/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=61SLQ_INST:SLQ&docid=alma9915598934702061
- https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ystervarkie
- https://www.tasteofmemories.com/kokuszkocka/
- https://thebalkanhostess.com/cupavci/