Just read Jill Dupleix’s ‘Lure of the Lamington’ and enjoyed the article so much I decided to do my little bit for the humble Lamington too and post the ‘Proper Lamington’ recipe which my mother gave me.
When we were kids growing up in Ballarat, Victoria there was always the ‘proper lamington’ and the ‘others’. The ‘others’ had, let’s call it a ‘covering’ that was not a real lamington! In fact it was only chocolate flavoured icing. Yes icing, too sugary and not the proper stuff at all! Icing just doesn’t cut it for a lamington in my opinion. Our ‘covering’ was better, it was the ‘proper‘ one and we are sticking to that story! No it’s not Callebaut chocolate, or to be honest anything like the other recipes I have found or the cafes are serving, but an unusual mix of pretty low cost ingredients boiled up on the stove, left to cool and then runny enough so that the sponge can really soak it in and the coconut can really stick to it so you have quite a thick covering. I remember as a child my mother even having to re-heat the mixture when it got too thick. Now that’s a proper lamington!
We use to ask people how they made their lamingtons. As soon as they told us it was chocolate icing then we didn’t want one. We did find a few people who knew this secret recipe but they were few and far between. It seemed to come from some old, secret Ballarat tradition that has been handed down through the generations. I guess they must have had lots of stale sponge lying around in Ballarat in the old days because it is definitely a recipe that lends itself to covering up these faults. I can’t find anyone in Sydney (or online) who has ever heard of this type of lamington. Maybe it was just a local concept, but nevertheless we loved it. Now we have things like blogs we can all share and enjoy these secrets together.
My son celebrated his 25th birthday in May this year and as he hadn’t had a 21st because he was living in Canberra he wanted this to be a very special Quarter Century party. To celebrate such an occasion you have to have a cake, right? His special request for his ‘cake’ was a huge tower of lamingtons! Yes, I am not joking. This is a picture (sorry it’s only one from my phone) of his special cake. Everyone loved it and told me I made the Best Lamingtons!
Proper Lamington Icing:
Enough for about 6-8 Lamingtons
Ingredients:
150g Pure Icing Sugar, sifted
2 heaped tablespoons good quality cocoa, sifted
2 tablespoons of jam (plum or apricot)
250ml water
40g Butter, cut into small pieces
Method:
- Melt butter in the water in a wide saucepan or deep frying pan. This is easier later for access when you are dipping.
- Add jam and stir over low heat until it has dissolved. Carefully add cocoa and icing sugar and just bring to the boil. Taste it, you might want to add a little more cocoa depending on the quality you have used.
- It will be quite thin, my mother said you could thicken it with a little cornflour mixed with water but I haven’t ever done that. If you do make sure you cook out the cornflour for a minute or two.
- It will thicken up as you are dipping but be quick so it doesn’t soak too much into the sponge.
- Roll in ordinary desiccated coconut, it doesn’t work with the longer shredded coconut.
We also love them sandwiched together with strawberry jam and cream, Yum 🙂
Don’t forget National Lamington Day, July 21st – enjoy!
TWITTER
Jill Dupleix Jill Dupleix
@Jilldupleix
I totally approve…. @cookwise1: @Jilldupleix @goodfoodAU The Proper Lamington! bit.ly/1370ern
11:57 AM – 14 Jul 13
——————————————————————————–
Just had an email from my friend Deidre who is living in the USA. She told me that her mother also used this recipe, her aunt was from Ballarat and we think my mother must have given her this recipe too!
Thank you for the quantities for your lamington icing recipe. My mother, originally from Carnegie (Vic) always put jam in her icing when we lived in Whittlesea. I helped by making sure the lamingtons didn’t fall off the forks propped up on the side of the bowl as they drained. Also got to eat the leftover lumps of chocolate and coconut. :)) Mum always made lamingtons once a week as well as cream puffs, chocolate cake, shortbread ….the list goes on – she was a great cook! Unfortunately she has been blind for 15 years so can’t cook now 🙁 Still going at 89, with a very active mind!
Thanks Linda for your lovely message. You will see a few ‘Victorian’ recipes on the blog, some now in Christmas cookery that you might also recognise! Your mum sounds like she was an amazing cook, have a happy Christmas!
My mother worked as a cook for the Lansell family in Bendigo, Colonel Lansell and his daughter Mrs Wills; and she always made boiled icing for the lamingtons. As children we were often told “this is the way Mrs Wills liked it done”…
Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for your email. I love hearing stories like yours. It really must be a Victorian country recipe!
Regards Trudy
My Mum grew up in Auburn, Sydney in the depression. I don’t know but presume she got her recipe from her Mum who grew up in the Orange district NSW. I came across your recipe for boiled lamington icing trying to find something similar to Mums. She didn’t use jam, I don’t think, but was nothing like the taste of soaked in yummy of boiled icing.
Thank you, Kath.