Chocolate Lamingtons have always been on my “to bake gluten free” bucket list. So what better time to test out baking these Gluten Free Chocolate Lamingtons with Australia Day next week.
I really enjoy Australia Day. We go on a road trip to a different beach each year and get to spend the day hanging out with my family. For those that don’t know much about me, I have one brother and three sisters. I’m the youngest of the family with two nieces and two nephews. I adore them all so much and love that Lyla has so many aunties, uncles and cousins to play with and protect her in this crazy world.
Anyway, getting back to the baking – these chocolate lamingtons are really tasty and quick to make. You can slice them in half and add a little jam or cream if you fancy. If you’re really after something different, you can also try making my lime lamingtons. They’re filled with lime curd and are ridiculously good, but then again, I’m a sucker for anything with lime or lemon curd.
Hope you have a fabulous Australia Day and don’t forget, I’d love to hear from you if you make any of my recipes. Thanks to the McGrath Foundation High Tea cookbook for the original recipe which was then adapted to be gluten free and modified for my baking preferences.
- 150 g unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk
- 275 g (2 cups and 1 tablespoon) Gluten Free self raising flour
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- ½ cup cocoa
- ½ cup cadbury drinking chocolate
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 90 g unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 25 x 20cm lamington tin with baking paper.
Using the stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. In a seperate bowl, using a whisk, beat the eggs, vanilla extract and milk together before slowly whisking into the butter mixture.
Fold in the sifted flour to form a smooth batter. Then pour into the lamington tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. Once cooled cut the cake into 20 squares and make the icing mixture.
Stir all the icing ingredients into a small saucepan over low heat until they have melted and the mixture is smooth. Then remove the saucepan from direct heat but place over a bowl containing a small amount of boiling water to keep the mixture warm.
Using a skewer gently inserted into the lamington or fork designed for dipping into chocolate, dip each side of the lamington into the chocolate mixture until completely covered. Allow excess mixture to drip off for a few seconds before gently coating with the coconut mixture. (I used a mixture of shredded and desiccated coconut for added texture but you can use just one type if you prefer).
Once coated in coconut place the laminton on a sheet of baking paper to set and repeat for remaining lamington squares. Serve alone or sliced in half with a layer of jam and/or cream as desired.
The amount of vanilla extract used seems rather high, is it really a third of a cup? I would expect it to be more like a teaspoon.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for you question! Yes the volume of vanilla extract is ⅓ of a cup. I came across a “gluten containing” sponge recipe that used the vanilla extract in this way and thought I’d test it out. It seemed a little strange to me also at first, but the vanilla extract acts as both a flavouring agent and liquid component for this recipe. The flavour is well balanced and not at all over powered by vanilla. I know a lot of other lamington recipes use milk as their liquid component so feel free to play around with the recipe. I’d love to hear how you go if you do try modifying it.