Learn how to make perfect Australian lamingtons. Delicious homemade sponge cakes dipped in chocolate and covered in shredded coconut. They’re perfect for morning or afternoon tea.
Lovely lamingtons for the win! 💜
Have you ever had lamingtons before? These gorgeous little cakes are absolutely divine. Homemade soft sponge cakes dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut.
You’re going to love making this special Australian dessert from scratch.
What is a lamington?
A lamington is a famous Australian dessert made from sponge cake. The cake is cut into squares and then dipped in chocolate icing and covered in coconut. There are a few different varieties, sometimes lamingtons are filled with jam or even whipped cream.
While you can buy pre-made lamingtons from the supermarket, there is nothing like a homemade lamington, made from scratch.
Sometimes lamingtons can be made from butter cake or yellow cake, but most of the time, they are made using light and fluffy sponge cake – which is what we are making here today.
For this lamington recipe, you’ll first need to make a delicious sponge cake – one that’s light and airy and sweet. While sponge cakes have a bit of reputation for being difficult to make, my recipe is very simple and straightforward. I’m also going to give you all my best tips for making the perfect sponge.
Once the cake has cooled, you simply cut it into small squares. Then it’s time to for the chocolate icing. This delicious frosting is made using icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk.
Each cake is quickly dipped in the chocolate icing and then sprinkled with coconut. I’ve used shredded coconut but you can use any type of coconut you like.
Tips for making the perfect sponge cake
- Measure out ALL your ingredients before you start. Use a kitchen scale to measure out your dry ingredients in grams – you need to be exact.
- Grease and line your baking tin with baking or parchment paper. Then grease the paper with a little butter to make sure the sponge doesn’t stick. This also helps the sponge have something to grip onto and rise correctly.
- Sift your dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch and baking powder) twice to make sure your sponge is extra light.
- Sponge cakes are ALL about the eggs. You need to beat your eggs until they are voluminous and thick. My trick to knowing when your eggs are ready? When you can draw the number 8 on the top using your whisk and it stays there for 1-2 seconds – it can take a while to get your eggs to this stage – be patient.
- Do NOT over mix when you add your flour mixture otherwise you will lose all the air you put into your eggs, which is what will make your sponge cake light and fluffy.
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Let's Bake
Easy Homemade Lamingtons
Easy homemade sponge cake dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut – an Australian classic.
Ingredients
Sponge cake
- 70 grams (1/2 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 35 grams (1/4 cup) cornflour or cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
Chocolate icing
- 40 grams (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
- 250 grams (2 cups) icing or powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
- 120 grams (2 cups) shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line an 8 inch baking square tin with baking paper. Lightly grease the inside of the paper with a little butter as well.
- Sift flour, cornflour and baking powder twice into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add eggs and start to beat using an electric whisk. Once the eggs start to go thick and foamy, add sugar, one tablespoon at a time.
- Continue to beat the eggs until they are thick and voluminous – this can take 5-8 minutes. You’ll know the eggs are ready, when you can draw the number 8 on top and it stays for 1-2 seconds.
- Meanwhile, add milk and butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds or until butter is melted. Leave to cool slightly.
- When the eggs are ready, gently add the sifted flour mixture, pour butter mixture down the side of the bowl and gently fold until flour is JUST combined. Do not over mix or you’ll mix all the air out of the eggs.
- Add mixture to prepared cake tin. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until cake gently springs back when lightly touched on top. Leave to cool completely.
- To make the chocolate icing, sift cocoa powder and icing sugar. Add melted butter and milk and stir until chocolate is smooth.
- Cut sponge cake into 12 squares. Carefully and quickly dip each piece of cake into chocolate, let the extra chocolate dip off and then cover in coconut. Transfer to a cake rack to dry.
- Repeat with remaining cake squares.
Notes
Lamingtons are best eaten on the day they are made.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 cake Calories: 203
This recipe was first published in June 2014.
Nombuso Mnguni says
May I get your recipe book at Bargain book?and please add snowballs recipe..and more square cake recipe
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I’m not familiar with that bookshop, but here are the bookshops that are currently stocking it. There will be more to come! And I’d love to do a snowball recipe!
Ilaria says
Hi! Which measurements’s tin do you suggest for this recipe?
I’m sorry but I’m italian and I have no idea
Thank you very much!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I use an 8-inch square baking pan for this one! I hope that helps!
Vix says
I doubled the recipient to make a full sheet tray. Worked awesome
I also substituted milk for hot water in the chocolate sauce, as my grandma did it.
Great recipe
Also I used fresh ground coconut, wow! If you can ever try, highly recommend. It adds to the moisture so expect a more moist lamington.
My husband doesn’t really like lamingtons but he ate at least 3.😁
Jessica Holmes says
Wow sounds Vix! I’ll have to try that next time. Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Blitzo says
Wow! I love sweet foods especially lamington in Australia very delicious.
Whitney Sawyer says
Elegantly written recipe, I didn’t realize that 1/4 of caster sugar was equal to 50g in cup size, interesting…and also the cocoa powder being 40g and equal to half a cup…Thanks for that info!
Astrik says
Tried this and it came out really good. Reduced the icing sugar into 50 gram and the sweetness was perfect for me. I have tried some other recipes too and they all worked really well, my favorite is the chocolate banana bread. Thank you so much.
Jessica Holmes says
Aww I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Sishal says
Tried this. Cake came out flat
and too firm. Disappointing.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m sorry to hear that! If your sponge was flat and dense, it’s likely there wasn’t enough air in your eggs. You might not have beaten them for long enough, or you may have mixed all the air out of the mixture when adding the dry ingredients.
Ash says
I tried to make this recipe but the sponge cake turned out extremely flat. I think it’s because of the eggs – I beat them for about 10 minutes but they never got to the point of been able to make a figure 8 on top. What can I try? Do the eggs need to be room temperature? Or straight out of the fridge? Thanks!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Ash, sorry to hear that! You definitely need to get the air into those eggs for the sponge to rise. Great questions though – room temperature eggs are best and fresh eggs work best too. I hope you get another chance to try it.