Lamington

Ingredients

• For the sponge
• 225 g plain flour, sifted
• 225 g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 115 g unsalted butter, softened
• 120 ml whole milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine salt
• For the chocolate glaze
• 300 g icing sugar, sifted
• 60 g cocoa powder, sifted
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 125 ml boiling water
• For coating
• 300 g desiccated coconut, not fresh or shredded

Method

1. 1
   Grease and line a rectangular tin, then build the sponge: cream the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and noticeably lighter in volume, so the incorporated air gives the finished cake its open, even crumb. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt alternating with the milk, then add the vanilla. Bake at 180 °C until a skewer inserted in the centre withdraws clean and the surface springs back under light finger pressure, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
2. 2
   Wrap the cooled sponge tightly and rest it at room temperature for 1–2 days, or freeze the cut cubes completely until rigid, so the crumb firms and binds enough to survive submersion in warm glaze without tearing. The sponge is ready when a knife passes through a cube without tearing or crumbling — a freshly baked sponge that does not hold its edge cleanly will disintegrate in the glaze.
3. 3
   Cut the rested or defrosted sponge into cubes of approximately 5 cm, trimming any crust that may resist glaze adhesion, since a sealed crust repels the chocolate and leaves bare patches. The cubes must hold a sharp edge; a cube that compresses under the knife has not rested long enough.
4. 4
   Make the glaze by combining the sifted icing sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl, then add the butter and pour over the boiling water, stirring until the butter melts and the mixture is completely smooth. This is where the dish lives or dies — the glaze must remain warm throughout the dipping session, fluid enough to flow off a lifted spoon in a thin, unbroken ribbon that disappears into the surface within two seconds, because if it falls in heavy drops or sets on the spoon it has cooled too far and must be rewarmed gently. A glaze that is too thick coats unevenly and overwhelms the sponge; the finished layer must be 1–2 mm.
5. 5
   Working quickly, lower each sponge cube into the warm glaze on a fork, turn it once to coat all six faces, then lift and allow the excess to drain for three seconds so that glaze pools at the base do not harden into a solid foot of chocolate. The cube should carry an even, translucent chocolate film with no bare patches and no pooling at the base.
6. 6
   Immediately transfer the glazed cube to a tray of desiccated coconut and roll to coat on all sides, pressing the coconut lightly so it adheres before the glaze surface begins to skin over and loses its grip. Set on a wire rack and repeat with each cube; the coconut layer is complete when no chocolate film is visible beneath and the surface is uniformly dry to the eye.
7. 7
   Allow the lamingtons to set at room temperature until the glaze is firm and the coconut no longer shifts when a cube is lifted — at least 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature; a cold lamington is dense and the coconut stiffens unpleasantly.