Chocolate Lamingtons

Kiwi favourite, light and fluffy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all purpose (plain) flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g butter, melted and cooled

ICING
75g butter
1 cup milk
½ cup  cocoa powder
3 cup icing sugar

TO ASSEMBLE - Around 3 cups of desiccated coconut, 3 cups of shredded coconut

METHOD

SPONGE
1. Preheat the oven 180˚C.
2. Grease a 20cm x 30cm pan, lining the base of the pan with baking paper.
3. With a hand mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (medium-high speed) until pale and thick (aprox. 3 minutes). Sift the baking powder and flour and over the egg and sugar mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently combine the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter, about at a time, mixing until completely combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, (baking times may vary depending on your oven). You’ll know its done when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out dry. Allow to sit for a few minutes then turn onto cooling rack.
5. Cut cake into your preferred size of lamington. Refrigerate for a few hours or leave overnight in a container - a slightly less fresh cake will be easier to dip in the icing.

METHOD FOR THE ICING
6. Sift the icing sugar and the cocoa powder into two different bowls. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, then mix in the milk. Next, using a whisk to stir, start to add the cocoa powder. Once the cocoa powder is completely dissolved, add
the icing sugar about a cup at a time, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. When all the icing sugar is combined, pour the chocolate mix into two separate bowls – that way when one mix gets full of crumbs you can switch to the next one.
7. Working quickly, using a fork, dip the cake cubes into the chocolate mix and roll them around with the tines of the fork to completely coat. Drain any excess mixture off the cakes then drop them in the coconut and roll them around lightly to coat evenly with coconut, firstly in the desiccated then in the shredded. Set on a cooling rack to drain. You can refrigerate to help set the icing, then bring them to room temperature before serving.