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Lamingtons

Name: Lamingtons
Yield: 16 squares
Cuisine: Australia
Ingredients: 6 Large eggs Room temperature; 150 g Sugar; 1.25 mL Fine salt; 175 g Cake flour Sifted; 70 g Unsalted butter Melted and cooled; 170 g Dark chocolate Chopped; no liqueur filling; 40 g Unsalted butter; 180 mL Milk; 220 g Icing sugar Sifted; 30 mL Unsweetened cocoa Sifted; 30 mL Boiling water For thinning after filling; 200 g Unsweetened shredded coconut

Makes: 16 squares
Heat: 180°C conventional
Baking time: About 30 min

Melt the icing over barely simmering water for a few min.

Australia · Coated sponge cakes

Lamingtons

Light sponge squares receive chocolate icing and a coconut coating.

Include step photos when printing

Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Sponge	Large eggs	6	Room temperature
Sponge	Sugar	150 g
Sponge	Fine salt	1.25 mL
Sponge	Cake flour	175 g	Sifted
Sponge	Unsalted butter	70 g	Melted and cooled
Icing	Dark chocolate	170 g	Chopped; no liqueur filling
Icing	Unsalted butter	40 g
Icing	Milk	180 mL
Icing	Icing sugar	220 g	Sifted
Icing	Unsweetened cocoa	30 mL	Sifted
Icing	Boiling water	30 mL	For thinning after filling
Coating	Unsweetened shredded coconut	200 g

Tools & alternatives

Utensil checklist

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Measuring spoons and a marked jug	Use standard measuring spoons for small volumes and a kitchen measuring jug for liquids; eating spoons vary in size.
23 cm square tin	Use an existing pan of the same dimensions, depth and material where possible. A different size changes thickness and cooking time; do not fill a smaller pan with the full batch.
Mixer with paddle or beaters	Use a sturdy spoon and bowl for softened butter mixtures, or a hand mixer. Cream until lighter; do not replace beating with a quick stir.
Sieve	Use a clean fine-mesh kitchen strainer. For dry ingredients only, whisking removes small lumps, but will not strain a custard or sauce.
Heatproof bowl	Use a heat-rated metal or glass mixing bowl; ordinary serving glass is not automatically heatproof.
Cooling rack	Set a clean, cool wire trivet over a tray. Let air reach underneath; a flat plate can trap steam.

Timing & recipe details

Time & temperature

Baking temperature: 180°C conventional
Baking time: About 30 min

Melt the icing over barely simmering water for a few min.

Makes: 16 squares
Heat: 180°C conventional
Plan for: About 2½–3 hours including cooling and setting

Method

01 · Prepare
5 min
Use: Oven; tin
Heat oven. Grease tin and line its base.
Ready when: Tin ready
01 PrepareGrease the square tin and line its base before mixing the sponge.
02 · Whip
5–10 min
Use: Eggs, sugar, salt
Whip until thick enough that a ribbon remains briefly on top.
Ready when: Pale, voluminous foam
02 WhipWhip the eggs, sugar and salt until a thick ribbon rests briefly on the foam.
03 · Fold
Briefly
Use: Flour; melted butter
Sift flour over foam while folding; fold in butter without leaving streaks.
Ready when: Aeration retained
03 FoldFold in the sifted flour and cooled melted butter gently, keeping the batter airy.
04 · Bake and cool
About 30 min + cooling
Use: Batter
Bake in prepared tin; cool fully, remove paper and split cake horizontally.
Ready when: Cake pulls slightly from the sides
04 Bake and coolOnce the sponge is completely cool, remove the paper and split it into two matching layers.
05 · Make icing
A few min
Use: Chocolate, icing butter, milk; sugar, cocoa
Melt chocolate, butter and milk over barely simmering water. Off heat, whisk in sugar and cocoa.
Ready when: Smooth coating
05 Make icingOff the heat, whisk the icing sugar and cocoa into the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
06 · Fill
5 min
Use: Cake; some icing
Spread about 125 mL icing between the cake layers. Cut into 16 squares.
Ready when: Layers aligned
06 FillSpread the reserved icing between the sponge layers, then cut the filled cake into 16 squares.
07 · Coat
15–20 min
Use: Remaining icing; water; coconut
Thin remaining icing with the boiling water. Dip each square, drain excess and roll in coconut.
Ready when: Even coating, no bare sides
07 CoatDip each filled square in the thinned icing, drain it, then coat all sides with coconut.
08 · Set
Until set
Use: Coated squares
Place on a rack until icing firms.
Ready when: Squares can be lifted cleanly
08 SetLet all 16 coated squares stand on the rack until the icing firms.

What to look for

Stage	Look / feel for	Needs attention
Sponge	A ribbon rests on the egg foam before sinking.	Thin eggs that lose their trail instantly.
Icing	Coats the cake without tearing it.	Very hot or thick icing.

Troubleshooting

If you see this	Likely cause	What to do now	Next time
Dense sponge	Foam lost during folding.	Cut small portions for serving.	Fold lightly and stop when combined.
Cake breaks during dipping	Cake is warm or very fragile.	Chill cut portions to firm them.	Cool completely before handling.
Icing becomes too stiff	Chocolate mixture cooled.	Warm gently over water.	Keep it fluid without overheating.

Vanilla is omitted. The two butter amounts have different uses. The icing is divided between the filling and coating; the listed water thins only the remaining coating.

Ingredient choices & substitutions

Ingredient	Specified type	Brand	Status
Cake flour	Soft, low-protein wheat flour	Swan’s Down / Softasilk are examples; French T45 also mentioned	Examples rather than exclusive requirements
Unsweetened coconut	Fine or medium shredded coconut	No required brand	Match the ingredient type

Ingredient	Alternative / ratio	Adjust handling	Likely outcome
Cake flour	All-purpose flourEqual weight if cake flour is unavailable	Sift and fold especially gently.	A less delicate crumb; not an exact flour match.
Unsweetened coconut	Desiccated coconutUse enough to coat	Fine coconut coats more densely.	Smaller flakes give a finer surface.

Match the ingredient’s function and weight. See the flour, gluten, yeast and salt guide.

Other approaches to this recipe

Lebovitz’s egg-foam sponge and chocolate icing supply the complete base. Maehashi’s version is a creamed butter cake with cocoa icing, adapted from Taste; its useful chilling method is a handling comparison, not a second test of this sponge.

Cook / recipe	Use	What differs
David Lebovitz · David LebovitzLamingtons	Working base	Author describes developing the recipe and consulting Matt Rothman about icing.
RecipeTin Eats · Nagi MaehashiLamingtons	Comparison and coating technique	Credits a Taste recipe for the formula; uses a different cake and cocoa icing, with chilled cake pieces for handling.

The working ingredients and method form one recipe. Different formulas are compared without averaging their quantities or rise schedules.

Recipe

Lamingtons

Light sponge squares receive chocolate icing and a coconut coating.

Include step photos when printing

Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Sponge	Large eggs	6	Room temperature
Sponge	Sugar	150 g
Sponge	Fine salt	1.25 mL
Sponge	Cake flour	175 g	Sifted
Sponge	Unsalted butter	70 g	Melted and cooled
Icing	Dark chocolate	170 g	Chopped; no liqueur filling
Icing	Unsalted butter	40 g
Icing	Milk	180 mL
Icing	Icing sugar	220 g	Sifted
Icing	Unsweetened cocoa	30 mL	Sifted
Icing	Boiling water	30 mL	For thinning after filling
Coating	Unsweetened shredded coconut	200 g

Tools & alternatives

Utensil checklist

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Measuring spoons and a marked jug	Use standard measuring spoons for small volumes and a kitchen measuring jug for liquids; eating spoons vary in size.
23 cm square tin	Use an existing pan of the same dimensions, depth and material where possible. A different size changes thickness and cooking time; do not fill a smaller pan with the full batch.
Mixer with paddle or beaters	Use a sturdy spoon and bowl for softened butter mixtures, or a hand mixer. Cream until lighter; do not replace beating with a quick stir.
Sieve	Use a clean fine-mesh kitchen strainer. For dry ingredients only, whisking removes small lumps, but will not strain a custard or sauce.
Heatproof bowl	Use a heat-rated metal or glass mixing bowl; ordinary serving glass is not automatically heatproof.
Cooling rack	Set a clean, cool wire trivet over a tray. Let air reach underneath; a flat plate can trap steam.

Timing & recipe details

Makes: 16 squares
Heat: 180°C conventional
Allow: About 2½–3 hours including cooling and setting

How do I make it?

Get ready
5 min
Heat the oven to 180°C, conventional. Grease the tin and line its base; allow about 5 minutes.
Grease the square tin and line its base before mixing the sponge.
Ready when: Tin ready
Beat the eggs
5–10 min
Beat the eggs, sugar and salt for 5–10 minutes, until pale and full of air. The mixture should fall in a thick ribbon that stays briefly visible on the surface.
Whip the eggs, sugar and salt until a thick ribbon rests briefly on the foam.
Ready when: Pale, voluminous foam
Add flour and butter
Briefly
Sift the flour over the egg mixture as you gently lift batter from the bottom over the top. Fold in the melted, cooled butter until no streaks remain, keeping as much air as possible.
Fold in the sifted flour and cooled melted butter gently, keeping the batter airy.
Ready when: Aeration retained
Bake and cool
About 30 min + cooling
Bake in the prepared tin for about 30 minutes, until the cake pulls slightly away from the sides. Cool completely, remove the paper and cut horizontally into two layers.
Once the sponge is completely cool, remove the paper and split it into two matching layers.
Ready when: Cake pulls slightly from the sides
Make the icing
A few min
Set a bowl over barely simmering water and melt the chocolate, icing butter and milk together. Take off the heat and whisk in the icing sugar and cocoa until smooth; this takes a few minutes.
Off the heat, whisk the icing sugar and cocoa into the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
Ready when: Smooth coating
Fill and cut
5 min
Spread about 125 mL icing between the cake layers, lining them up neatly. Cut into 16 squares; allow about 5 minutes.
Spread the reserved icing between the sponge layers, then cut the filled cake into 16 squares.
Ready when: Layers aligned
Coat
15–20 min
Stir the boiling water into the remaining icing to thin it. Dip each square, let extra icing drip off and roll in coconut, covering every side. Allow 15–20 minutes.
Dip each filled square in the thinned icing, drain it, then coat all sides with coconut.
Ready when: Even coating, no bare sides
Let the icing set
Until set
Put on a rack until the icing is firm and you can lift the squares without damaging the coating.
Let all 16 coated squares stand on the rack until the icing firms.
Ready when: Squares can be lifted cleanly

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

What you notice	Likely cause	What to do
Dense sponge	Foam lost during folding.	Cut small portions for serving. Fold lightly and stop when combined.
Cake breaks during dipping	Cake is warm or very fragile.	Chill cut portions to firm them. Cool completely before handling.
Icing becomes too stiff	Chocolate mixture cooled.	Warm gently over water. Keep it fluid without overheating.

Useful recipe notes

Vanilla is omitted. The two butter amounts have different uses. The icing is divided between the filling and coating; the listed water thins only the remaining coating.

See the detailed method and ratios in , or follow ingredients through the .

Ingredient proportions & recipe details

Lamingtons at a glance

Makes: 16 squares
Heat: 180°C conventional
Baking time: About 30 min

How do the ingredient proportions compare?

Percentages compare each listed weight with the combined flour weight (100%). These are ingredient ratios, not dough hydration; milk, eggs and fillings contain other ingredients as well as water.

Formula component	Grams	Flour = 100%
Sugar	150 g	85.7%
Cake flour	175 g	100%
Unsalted butter	70 g	40%
Dark chocolate	170 g	97.1%
Unsalted butter	40 g	22.9%
Icing sugar	220 g	125.7%
Unsweetened shredded coconut	200 g	114.3%

Method

01 · Prepare

02 · Whip

03 · Fold

04 · Bake and cool

05 · Make icing

06 · Fill

07 · Coat

08 · Set

What to look for

Troubleshooting

How do I make it?

Get ready

Beat the eggs

Add flour and butter

Bake and cool

Make the icing

Fill and cut

Coat

Let the icing set

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

Lamingtons at a glance