The Christmas contender. White chocolate lamingtons.
Coconut and white chocolate remind me of white Christmases, of which I’ve experienced a grand total of 1. It happened several years ago when we visited B’s parents in Northern Ireland over the holidays and on Christmas morning, it partially snowed, much to my excitement and awe. We got dressed, tumbled down the stairs and not long after, the guests arrived and were sitting down to a very traditional lunch of roast turkey, baked ham, sprouts and potato salad, followed by mince tart, Christmas pudding and iced fruit cake. Later we tried with modest success to make a dent in an impossibly large tin of Quality Street that someone had unwrapped.
This Christmas will be celebrated at my parents’ place in sunny Sydney, hopefully feasting on typical Summer fare : oysters, prawns, whole baked fish and a family favourite – cold glazed ham.
As usual for most of our gatherings, I have been charged with the responsibility of supplying the dessert. I’ve been vacillating between wanting to make something chock full of traditional yuletide spices and dried fruit, while also thinking that perhaps we should be having something lighter with plenty of seasonal mangoes, peaches and cherries.
After making these white chocolate lamingtons however, I think we may have a real contender for our final Christmas course.
White chocolate lamingtons :
For the cake :
170g (6 ounces) couverture white chocolate, melted
2 eggs
240g (8 1/2 ounces) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300g (3 1/3 cups) plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
220g (1 cup) sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
125g (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
Preheat the oven to 180’C (350F). Line a 8 x 12 x 1 1/2 inch rectangular baking tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk until all are incorporated. Add the white chocolate and beat until well mixed through.
Transfer the batter to the baking tin and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting and glazing.
To coat the lamingtons, melt 220g couverture white chocolate with 100g milk in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir, then allow to cool and thicken before using. If your kitchen is too warm, place the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes or so, to help speed things up. Cut the cake into squares, trimming off the crust. Dip each square into the glaze, then roll in a bowl of dessicated coconut.
Tags: cake, coconut, lamington, tea cake, vanilla, white chocolate
Rosa said,
December 4, 2011 @ 1:45 pm
I love lamingtons, but I’ve never had that version. A great idea. They look just divine!
Cheers,
Rosa
Siobhan C said,
December 4, 2011 @ 2:33 pm
Oh yes! I am trying these.
Hannah said,
December 4, 2011 @ 9:23 pm
What a wonderful play on the traditional lamington! With a healthy dose of mango or passionfruit ice cream/sorbet on the side, I think this would be perfect for Christmas. If only my family weren’t one of the crazy ones that goes the whole hog with traditional hot foods, even when it’s 38 degrees!
Hannah said,
December 5, 2011 @ 12:23 am
So beautiful and elegant, they really do look perfect for Christmas time. I’ve only had lamingtons once before, but now I feel like I’m due for a refresher, asap.
Helene said,
December 5, 2011 @ 3:01 am
Never heard of lamingtons before but they certainly look so good.
Laura said,
December 5, 2011 @ 3:03 am
I have to say that growing up with cold and sometimes white Christmases I had a hard time when I lived in Los Angeles as it is always too warm there. I feel more at home now living in the Bay Area.
I learned how to make a cake with white chocolate from my pastry mentor and it was so moist and delicious, so great choice, and coconut and white chocolate are perfect together.
I am so jealous that you get you eat cherries, one of my favorite fruit!
Tina @ bitemeshowme said,
December 5, 2011 @ 7:52 am
White chocolate lamingtons are a great idea! They look much more soft and pretty 🙂 Great job!
sara said,
December 5, 2011 @ 10:34 am
Gorgeous! These look so festive! 🙂
Yuri - Chef Pandita said,
December 5, 2011 @ 10:35 am
I’ve never had lamingtons before. These look perfect for Christmas 🙂
Emma said,
December 6, 2011 @ 6:37 am
Ooh yeah. I think this would work wonders regardless of temperature and/or snowfall. Speaking of which, what’s up, winter? The skies opened up on us, and we had nine inches of snow, but now it feels like spring again, and all the pretty whiteness is but a relic of the past.
C’mon snow! Doncha know brown Christmases are sad sacks?? 🙂
Julia @ Mélanger said,
December 6, 2011 @ 6:48 pm
Even though I quite dislike white chocolate, I am tempted to make these! 🙂
thelittleloaf said,
December 6, 2011 @ 7:31 pm
I love lamingtons but have never actually made them myself. I love the addition of white chocolate here – combined with the coconut it definitely feels very festive!
grace said,
December 7, 2011 @ 7:58 pm
i’ve never had a lamington but considering my deep, deep love for white chocolate AND coconut, i don’t see how this could be wrong in any way. lovely, y!
Vanessa said,
December 7, 2011 @ 9:42 pm
Coconut and white chocolate together? I’m in! Lovely photos too. =)
Amanda said,
December 10, 2011 @ 8:04 pm
White Chocolate Lamingtons you say? Yes please! I’ll have to try these as gifts for work colleagues me thinks. Thank you for posting. 🙂
Cathy Armstrong said,
December 11, 2011 @ 6:09 pm
Absolutely the most delicious list of cookie recipes on your blog I have seen, ever! And white chocolate lamingtons … yum! I shall keep my eyes peeled.
Rita Brown said,
January 20, 2012 @ 11:45 am
This is just the base I need to make green and gold lamingtons for our Australia Day Celebrations