For those of you that don’t know, a lamington is a sweet snack from Australia that is cake-based and generally eaten for morning tea, afternoon tea, or high tea. This delicious treat was a kitchen mix-up that became Australia’s most famous culinary icon.
Learn about Lamington Day
If you have never heard of a lamington before, you are seriously missing out! But don’t worry; this day gives you the perfect opportunity to indulge in this delicious treat. In fact, you may have even tried one before, yet you may have simply not realized that they are called lamingtons!
So, what is this delicious treat? It is essentially an Australian cake that is made from squares of sponge cake or butter caked, which is then coated in a layer of chocolate sauce, and finally rolled in desiccated coconut. Is your mouth watering yet?
The thin mixture is absorbed into the sponge cake’s outside layer, and it is then left to set. This creates the distinctive texture of the cake. There have been a number of different variations of this cake that have been created over the years. One of the common variations is to have a layer of cream or strawberry jam in between two halves of lamington.
Of course, you could put any sort of flavored cream or jam in between two halves of the cake to create your own unique treat. Maybe this is something you could experiment with to celebrate Lamington Day?
In fact, there are a lot of different variants of lamingtons that are now enjoyed all around the world. The raspberry variant of this dessert is popular in New Zealand. St Helena Island, which is a small British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean has a variant that is similar, known as Coconut Fingers.
These are traditionally made for birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations. Coconut cubes or čupavci are eaten in Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Solvenie. In the United States, coconut bars are very popular in the city of Cleveland. There is also a similar confection, known as little porcupines – ystervarkies – that is sold in South Africa, albeit it is a lot smaller.
History of Lamington Day
At over a century old, this treat was named after the Governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington. The story goes that he was having his favorite yellow sponge cake served for his guests when the maid-servant accidentally dropped the cake into melted chocolate. When his Lordship heard he was the one who recommended them to roll the squares in coconut shavings to make them less messy for guests to eat with their tea.
There is even an Australian Lamington appreciation society (ALAS) which is committed to the preservation of their world famous Lamingtons, and annually celebrating Lamington Day.
