Alamington is an Australian cake made from squares of butter cake orsponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled indesiccated coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the outside of the sponge cake and left to set, giving the cake a distinctive texture. A common variation has a layer ofcream orstrawberryjam between two lamington halves.[1][2]
Lamingtons are believed to be named after eitherLord Lamington, who served asGovernor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, or his wife, Lady Lamington.[3][4][5] Most sources incline to the former.[6][7][8] The earliest known reference to the naming of the lamington, from June 1927, links the cake to Lord Lamington.[9]
The identity of the recipe's inventor has also been debated. Most stories attribute its creation to Lord Lamington's chef, the French-born Armand Galland, who was called upon at short notice to feed unexpected guests. Using only the limited ingredients available, Galland cut up some left-over Frenchvanilla sponge cake baked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut. Impressed by Galland's creation, Lamington's guests were said to have later asked for the recipe. This version of events is supported by Lady Lamington's memoirs.[10] Coconut was not widely used in European cooking at that time, but was known to Galland, whose wife was fromTahiti, where coconut was a common ingredient.
One account suggests that the lamington was first served inToowoomba, when Lord Lamington took his entourage to Harlaxton House to escape the steamy heat ofBrisbane,[11] whereas another claims that it was created by Galland atQueensland's Government House in Brisbane during the busy period leading up toFederation in 1901. A further alternative claim is that Lord Lamington's cook, presumably Galland, accidentally dropped a block ofsponge cake into a dish of chocolate. It was later discovered that desiccated coconut, sprinkled over the top, made the cakes more appealing.[12]
The first known mention of "Lamington cake" appears in an 1896 newspaper account of a "Lamington Function" atLaidley in Queensland. The event was in honour of Lord Lamington (although it appears he did not attend) and also featured "Lamington Tea", "Lamington Soup" etc., so, in the absence of any description of the cake, the name of the cake might signify nothing more than the name of the event.[13] A 1900 recipe for Lamington Cakes has been found in theQueensland Country Life newspaper.[14] While the recipe originated in Queensland, it spread quickly, appearing in a Sydney newspaper in 1901[15] and aNew Zealand newspaper in 1902.[16] However, none of these recipes indicate the creator of the recipe nor the reason for its name.
A 2014April Fools' Day story fromGuardian Australia falsely claimed the lamington to have been based on a previously unknown New Zealand cake known as a "Wellington".[17][18] This hoax origin story was later repeated by other sources.[19][20][21][22]
Lamingtons are typically baked in a Lamington pan named for the cake.[23]
Lamingtons remain a popular treat across Australia andNew Zealand, and 21 July was designated as National Lamington Day in Australia.[24][2] Lamingtons are often sold at fundraisers for schools or charity groups, known as "lamingtondrives".[25] Some Australians shorten the name to "Lammo" (singular) or "Lammos" (plural).[26]
There are many variations on the basic lamington recipe, including different colours, flavours, and sizes.[27][28]
Hungary has a similar item is known askókuszkocka, or coconut squares.[4]
Romanian cuisine calls the Lamington Prajitura tavalita cu cocos or "cake tumbled in coconut" and has a wide range of variations including different sauces and nuts and adding rum or orange or lemon zest to the cake.
InMalta, a popular version known as Pink Lamingtons, orpasti roża (alsopasti mir-roża), is commonly found in bakeries. The sponge cake is coated in a fruit-flavoured jelly mixture and then rolled in desiccated coconut, resulting in a bright pink and sweet treat often enjoyed by children.[citation needed]
The British Overseas Territory ofSt Helena Island has a similar variation called coconut fingers, made traditionally for special occasions such as weddings and birthdays.[29]
InMauritius, there is a dessert which is a variant of the Lamington cake; It is called the "red Lamington cake", also known as "gato carré rouge" (lit. "red cube cake" or "red square cake" in English andgâteau carré rouge in French) or "gato Francis" (lit. "Francis cake" in English orgâteau Francis in French).[34][35][36][37] Red dye is used to give the cake its red colour; square pieces of the cake are soaked in the red dye completely and then coated withdesiccated coconut, andwhipped cream is applied on the top surface of the cake.[34][37] A halfcandied cherry or half a strawberry can also be applied on top of the cream as topping.[34][35] The cake is sometimes strawberry flavoured.[38][37]
In 2009, as part of theQ150 celebrations, the lamington was announced as one of theQ150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention".[39]
