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.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
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
This recipe was first published in June 2014.
Gg says
Question I don’t know if I’m making a mistake but this says 50 g of caster sugar or half a cup when I measure out 50 g of caster sugar it doesn’t come anywhere near my half cup measurement all the other measurements seem pretty much on target but this one is just really often I can’t tell which one is right to 50 g or tje 1/2 cup
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, sorry about that. It’s 50 grams = 1/4 cup. Hope you enjoy them!
Gil Chesterton says
My head hurts from trying to figure out how to divide a square shape into 12 equal squares.
Other than that, it’s great!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Glad you liked it Gil!
Auguste says
I made these for the first time using your recipe and it was sooo delicious!!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
Anthonia says
I made these lamingtons today, my first attempt. And it came out fantastic! My husband enjoyed it so much. Thank you for a great easy recipe. Will definately make them again.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so happy to hear that Anthonia! Thank you for your kind review!
Taskeen Mussa says
hi, i want to try your lamingtons they look fab but i had a question – most recipes for a sponge cake do not have cornflour, however alot of lamington recipes have cornflour… how does the cornflour benefit a lamington?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Taskeen, cornflour helps to make a soft and tender sponge. Hope you enjoy them!
Patricia says
Thank you for the recipe! I really liked the outcome (mine were too thin but because I don’t have a square tin) and my husband enjoyed them too 🙂
The only thing I was puzzled about was the icing. The icing was a bit runny in my case and wouldn’t really dry (to be honest I never had lamingtons before and maybe this is the normal case?). I double checked the ingredients but I didn’t made a mistake, at least from the measurements. Maybe the ingredients have a different ‘consistency’ in Japan but I think next time I add just some couverture chocolate to make it more thicker and easier to dry.
Warm regards
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Patricia, glad you enjoyed them! The icing is meant to be quite running so it’s easy to dip the sponges and it also makes it easier for the coconut to have something to stick too. Thanks for your feedback.
Jan says
Thanks for the recipe. Unfortunately this did not work for me – it was too eggy in taste, possibly what others enjoy. Would it turn out fluffy with the reduction of an egg?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Jan, sorry to hear that. You can add a little vanilla to help mask the egg taste, but sometimes that can happen with sponge cakes as they rely so heavily on eggs. I wouldn’t necessarily try reducing the eggs as they are needed for height and structure. Thank you for trying one of my recipes.
Nikky Cassidy says
I beat eggs for ages then forgot to add sugar so had to beat some more. I had to mix flour and eggs a lot I guess cos I didnt sift the flour. Flour was so lumpy. I was using wholemeal too. My tray was 1 cm larger all around that in recipe and it did not rise and was very sticky. Def need to butter baking paper as mine is an eco alternative and it stuck a bit. Ill prob use a smaller tray next time so the lamingtons are higher. I used a mix of melted chocolate and coconut oil to coat as I didnt like the taste of the icing and I was trying to make a healthier less sugary version. Tasted great although didnt look great hehe It was a very messy process so i had my fair share of sugar this arvo from cleaning up the mess in the bowl and the spoon and of course taste testing one or 2 :)I wanted to make for schiil lunches but I’m sure they would melt all over the lunch box.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Nikky, glad you enjoyed the lamingtons! Sifting the flour is very important so that would definitely have made a difference in the result. Hope you get a chance to try again in a smaller tin!
Dawid says
Made this with my kids today for Australia Day. They loved making them and tasting them too. My wife loved them also. Great recipe, we will be making again
Jessica Holmes says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them. Happy Australia Day!
Lyn says
I made these today, I thought the quantités were a bit odd, as I’m made lamingtons a few times before but with more flour, milk and butter in them, plus some vanilla. Anyway I thought I’d give it a go, but they are not for me. They were very light, but really they just tasted like fluffy eggs. Thanks but I’ll be going back to my old receipts
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Lyn, so glad these turned out light and fluffy for you! You can add a little vanilla to help mask the egg taste, but sometimes that can happen with sponge cakes. Thank you for trying one of my recipes.
Sally says
This recipe is so delicious! The sponge is light and fluffy. I also made some pink ones with raspberry jelly coating. Thankyou Jessica. I have so many compliments and this is my first attempt in making Lamingtons.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw I’m so happy to hear that Sally! And love the idea of making pink lamingtons!!
Zee says
Hi i tried this recipe today but my sponge turnedd out quite flat i did beat the eggs thoroughly not sure what else it could be?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Zee! It’s most likely to do with the beating of the eggs. To make a fluffy sponge, they really need to be thick and whipped. I use the trick of checking if I can draw a figure 8 on the egg mixture before it sinks. Then I know it’s ready!
Zee says
I did try that method but i think the 8 sunk quickly.!I will try again one day 🙂 Thank You.
Pamela says
Hi
I would like to know how to make it in green icing and not the chocolate icing
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Pamela, I’m sorry, I haven’t tested green icing before so I can’t say for sure. My guess is that you could make a similar icing (without the cocoa) and use food gel colouring, but it may be quite thin. Sorry I can’t help more!
Peter says
Hey! Just a small suggestion. I started making this and messed up on step 2. I’d recommend either making this two separate steps or make a mention that you are not adding the eggs to the same bowl as the sifted flour mixture. I started making this and accidentally did exactly that because the font was small and thought it was one sentence. It’s currently in the oven now so HOPEFULLY it turns out fine anyway 😛
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Peter! Thanks for the feedback. I’ll make sure to add that it’s a separate mixing bowl for the eggs. I’m sure your Lamingtons will be delicious! ☺️ Look forward to seeing a photo on Instagram! #sweetestmenu
Peter says
HEY! Thanks for the reply 🙂 Unfortunately, the first batch came out completely flat LOL. I’m not a baker at all so I did not know the whisked eggs would be so fluffy! The second batch (as you saw on insta) came out PERFECT. Great recipe. Have a great day Jessica!
Jessica Holmes says
So pleased to hear that Peter! The secret to the sponge really is whipping those eggs! Glad you enjoyed them ☺️
Josh says
These tasted so good!
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Josh!