The chocolate lamington. It's as Australian as the meat pie, kangaroos and the Harbour Bridge, ranking alongside with other traditional Australian icons such as vegemite and Holden cars.
The first is of Lord Lamington, born Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, the eighth governor of Queensland. It is believed that whilst serving Governor between 1896 and 1901 and living in the Government House of Brisbane, the Lord's maid-servant was preparing his favourite sponge, and accidentally dropped it in a bowl of melted chocolate. The Governor, not known to be wasteful, suggested the choc covered sponge be rolled in desiccated coconut to avoid messy fingers, as he wasnt going to let the cake go to waste. Lord Lamington devoured his new snack with great glee, leaving nothing behind but feeble amounts of coconut crumbs. The maid-servants error was proclaimed a smash hit and was accepted as so by all among the community.
The second story is quite possibly more realistic, yet not as fortunate as the first.
Lord Lamington, like usual, had invited some guests over for high-tea. The Governor's chef was striving to create extraordinary gourmet treats for the hordes of guests, and in doing so he thought it be a novel idea to dip some leftover sponge in some light chocolate sauce. He then proceeded to roll the sponge finger in coconut. Lord Lamington was impressed, almost as much as his guest. Several of the society ladies in attendance were so please that they insisted in acquiring the recipe, and the suitably chuffed chef obliged. The next month, the recipe was published in the Queensland Ladies Home Journal, titled 'Lady Lamington's Chocolate-Coconut Cake', only to be known soon after by it diminutive name, the LAMINGTON.
Traditionally the lamington consists of squares of light fluffy sponge cake coated first in a classic chocolate icing, then in desiccated coconut. Today there are significant variations in lamingtons all around Australia. In Queensland they are still made the traditional way, but in Victoria and South Australia they are predominantly filled with raspberry jam. In saying this, you can also find double-choc lamingtons, cream filled and even custard filled.
Next step... The hunt.
Eat up and dont leave a crumb. xx
