Vanilla Bean Lamingtons Food

LAMINGTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F (or fan forced 160C/320F).
• Sift flour and baking powder together.
• Grease a 20 cm x 30 cm / 8" x 12" cake pan. Line with baking paper (parchment paper), leaving an overhang on all sides (to make it easy to remove).
• Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy - about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
• Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition so the batter is smooth, not curdled.
• Add half the flour and gently fold to combine, then stir in half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Stand for 5 minutes then use the overhang baking paper to lift the cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• Cut cake into 15 squares (5 x 3), or 18 rectangles. Freeze for 1 to 1.5 hours. (Note 2)
• Combine the Icing ingredients in a heat proof bowl and mix until smooth. Should be a syrup consistency, but not watery. (Note 2)
• Place coconut in a shallow bowl or pan with a largish surface area (Note 3).
• Place a piece of cake in the icing and roll to coat using 2 forks. Transfer it into the coconut and quickly roll to coat all over in coconut. Transfer to tray.
• Repeat with remaining sponges.
• Stand for 1 to 2 hours, or until set. Then serve with tea and coffee!
• Beat cream and sugar until firm peaks form.
• Cut coated Lamington in half horizontally. Spread with jam then pipe or dollop on cream. Top with lid, keep refrigerated.

PINK LAMINGTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and line a 4cm-deep, 23cm x 28cm lamington pan (1.5" x 9" x 11") with butter and baking paper, allowing the paper to overhang edges of the pan slightly.
• Sift flours together into a large bowl three times.
• Beat eggs and caster sugar in a mixer on a high speed for 5 minutes until mixture is thick and pale, then scrape into a separate bowl.
• Sift flour over egg mixture and gently fold until just combined.
• Spread mixture into a lamington pan and bake for 28-30 minutes until pale golden and sponge springs back when touched in the center.
• Cool in the pan, then cover with a tea towel and set aside overnight.
• NEXT DAY:
• Turn out sponge, trim edges and cut into 24 squares.
• Spread coconut over the base of a baking tray.
• MAKE ICING:.
• Crush raspberries in a bowl with a fork, stir in 2 tablespoons of boiling water, then allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Sieve raspberry mixture into a clean bowl, discarding solids.
• Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
• Combine 1/3 cup of raspberry liquid and 1 cup of boiling water, stir into icing sugar and whisk until smooth.
• Whisk in enough food coloring to reach desired color.
• Dip one sponge at a time into icing, turning quickly to coat and allow excess to drip back into bowl.
• Roll in coconut and place on a wire rack to set.

LAMINGTONS

Steps:

• ----Red----.
• Prepare jelly according to packet instructions.
• Cover and leave to cool for 1 hour (approx) You will need to use it before it turns to jelly.
• ----Chocolate----.
• Melt butter, add cocoa dissolved in boiling water.
• Mix in sifted icing sugar, add vanilla, and beat well.
• -----Cake--------.
• Cut sponge in to smallish squares.
• Place coconut into shallow bowl.
• Dip half of the sponge squares in the chocolate icing turning to coat evenly on all sides.
• Dip immediately into coconut covering all sides.
• Dip the remaining squares in the red jelly and cover with the coconut.
• Leave to dry on cake rack then store in air tight container for up to 2 days.
• To serve, split and fill with whipped cream.

LAMINGTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 9-by-13-inch baking pans; line bottoms with parchment; butter parchment. Dust with flour; tap out excess; set pans aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time; beat until incorporated.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Place in oven; bake until a cake tester inserted into middles comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly on wire racks; remove from pans. Turn out cakes onto racks; cool completely.
• Spread one of the cooled cakes with the jam; place other cake on top. Using a serrated knife, trim edges of sandwiched cakes; cut into 24 two-inch squares.
• Place the coconut in a medium bowl; set aside. Place the bowl of chocolate icing over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of gently simmering water. Place a jam-filled cake squarein the bowl of chocolate icing; using forks to turn the square, coat all sides.
• Allow excess icing to drip off; transfer square to bowl of coconut (left bottom). Using clean forks to turn square, coat it with coconut. Transfer coated square to wire rack to stand until coating has set, about 15 minutes. Continue until all squares have been coated.

AUSTRALIAN LAMINGTON

Steps:

• Cake:.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Grease and flour an 8x12 inch rectangular pan.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl cream together the 1/2 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
• Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well.
• Pour the batter into the pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
• Let stand 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Store overnight to give the cake a chance to firm up before Icing.
• Icing:.
• In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and cocoa.
• In a saucepan, heat milk and 2 teaspoons butter until the butter is melted.
• Add the milk to the sugar mixture and mix well to create a fluid, but not too runny, Icing.
• Puting It All Together:.
• Cut the cake into 24 squares.
• Place coconut in a shallow container.
• Using a fork, dip each square into the icing, then roll it in the coconut.
• Place onto a rack to dry. The icing will drip, so place something underneath to catch it.
• Continue for each piece.

VANILLA BEAN LAMINGTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease 8x8 square pan.
• Beat eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer about 10 minutes, or until thick and creamy.
• Gradually beat in sugar, dissolving between additions.
• Add vanilla extract and scrape vanilla bean seeds into the mixture (Be sure to save the bean husk for vanilla sugar.mmm!)
• Sift together flours in separate bowl.
• Fold in flour to the wet mixture.
• Spread mixture in prepared pan.
• Bake for about 30 minutes.
• Turn onto wire rack to cool.
• Icing:
• Sift icing sugar and cocoa into heatproof bowl, stir in butter and milk.
• Stir over pan of simmering water until icing is of coating consistency.
• Cut cake into 16 squares, dip squares into icing, drain off excess icing, toss squares in coconut.
• Place lamingtons on wire rack to set.