Chocolate and Coconut Lamington Layer Cake

Lamingtons are an Australian classic.  A lamington is a square of sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut.  In our house it must also include a layer of jam in the middle. 

They are delicious, and they are one of my husband's favourite, but I don't often get around to making them.  Why not?  Because they are fiddly!  I never quite nail the dipping in icing part and so it is lucky that the coconut covers a multitude of faults.  My technique is getting better now that I freeze the sponge first and I make up more icing than the recipe suggests, but I still find them messy and fiddly. 

But what about a classic melt-and-mix layered cake that uses the classic flavours of the lamington, while being far less fiddly and yet far more impressive looking?  Now we are getting somewhere! 

I'm not really a big fan of a sponge cake.  Sponge cake and butter cake are about the only things safe from me on a dessert buffet, so in making this cake I thought I'd reverse the flavours and make a chocolate and coconut cake with white chocolate icing.  

As it is a melt-n-mix cake I recommend that you start by melting the butter in a large microwave proof dish. Then place the bowl on a set of scales and weigh the rest of the ingredients out - one bowl, one spoon, limited mess!  If you don't have scales I have included the cup measurements as well, but I would say a set of scales is a worthwhile investment and one I find quite necessary for baking.

When you melt the white chocolate and butter together to make the icing it can look like it's gone a little wrong, but once you add the icing sugar and milk it comes together beautifully.

The recipe makes quite a lot of icing, you could easily halve the recipe and still have enough for good coverage.  

I think the cake captures the essence of the classic lamington flavours beautifully.  Eat it in the first two days when it is at it's best.

Chocolate and Coconut Lamington Layer Cake

Ingredients

• 250g butter
• 225g (1 and 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 250g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 125g (1 and 1/2 cups) desiccated coconut
• 90g (1/2 cup)  cocoa powder. sifted
• 3/4 cup milk
• For jam filling:
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 4 tbsp raspberry jam
• For white chocolate icing:
• 200g white chocolate melts
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 4 tbsp milk

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
2. Place the butter in a large microwave safe dish and melt in the microwave.
3. Add the flour, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, coconut, baking powder and milk to the melted butter and mix until smooth.
4. Pour cake batter into 2 x 20cm round cake tins lined with non-stick baking paper. Cook for 30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
5. Let cakes cool in pans for 5 minutes and then turn them out and let cool completely on a wire rack.
6. To make jam filling: combine the frozen raspberries and raspberry jam in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat until sauce has thickened and the raspberries are just starting to break down. Set aside to cool.
7. To make white chocolate icing: melt the white chocolate and butter together in the microwave stirring at 30 second intervals until completely melted . Stir in the icing sugar and sufficient milk to make a smooth thick icing.
8. To assemble the cake: spread the jam filling on the bottom cake, place second cake on top and cover with white chocolate icing.
9. Sprinkle with coconut and serve.

So tell me, jam in lamingtons?  Yes or No??

Linking up: 

Happy baking.

Dani