Strawberry Coconut Lamingtons

Haven't heard of a Lamington?  Allow me to introduce you to this delightful sweet treat.  Lamingtons originated in Australia, and are typically a white cake, dipped in a chocolate frosting and then covered in coconut.  The original cake truffle, if you will.  I came across the blog Delicious Delicious Delicious a while ago, and they were hosting a Reinventing The Lamington challenge.  Incredible.  I wanted to try every single one of those.

When I was planning treats for my little girl's 1st birthday party, I remembered some Maraschino Cherry Lamingtons I had seen on Whisk Kid's blog.  Go check them out, they are simply gorgeous.  So I adapted her recipe slightly to make them a little more pink for my pink theme, and I came up with Strawberry Coconut Lamingtons.

These are super yummy, and look a lot more difficult to make than they actually are.  You simply make a very small layer cake, cut it into tiny pieces, coat with candy melts, and roll in coconut flakes.  They look impressive and are a delicate delicious treat.

Photo by: Jamie Lacey Photography

Strawberry Coconut Lamingtons

Almond Genoise


from Whisk Kid and Chef de Cuisine

2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons sugar
1/6 cup (17 g) ground almonds
1/4 cup (36 g) flour
1 tablespoons (14 g) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease an 8" x 8" pan, line with parchment paper and re-grease.

Combine the ground almonds and flour in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine egg yolks and 1/4 c sugar in a double boiler, and whisk constantly until tripled in volume.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they just start to peak, then gradually sprinkle in the sugar. Beat until soft peaks form.

Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients and the butter.

Pour into your prepared pan and bake 10-15 minutes until the cake is lightly browned and springs back when pressed lightly.

Cool completely in the pan on a rack. 

Strawberry Filling
adapted slightly from Whisk Kid

4 tablespoons (57 g) butter, room temp
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (52 g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the butter until smooth, then add the salt and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, then add the strawberry jam and vanilla. Beat until combined, light and fluffy.


Assembly
from Whisk Kid

2 1/2 cups (592 ml) coconut flakes, preferably unsweetened
10 oz pink candy melts

Cut the cooled cake into a 6" x 6" square. Cut that cake into two 3" x 6" halves and set one layer aside. Spread and smooth the frosting over one half of the cake, then top with the other, smoothing the frosting along the edges. Chill overnight, if possible, then cut the cake in half lengthwise, resulting in two 6" x 1.5" rectangles. Cut each of these strips into 4 pieces and you will end up with eight 1.5" x 1.5" x 1.5" cubes.

Place the mini cakes on a plate or baking sheet and return to the refrigerator.

While the cakes chill, turn your attention to dipping:

Place the coconut in a bowl and set out a sheet of parchment paper or a plate to hold your coated Lamingtons.

Melt the candy melts either in the microwave or in a double boiler.  To make coating the Lamingtons easier, transfer the melted chocolate to a tall thin container.

Dip each chilled Lamington into the candy melts.  I find that using one or two forks works best. Tap fork on the edge of the bowl to slightly thin the coating and immediately roll the Lamington in the flaked coconut to coat. Let set/harden on parchment paper or plate.  

Linked to:
Melt in your mouth monday
 Sweets for a Saturday
Sweet Tooth Friday