A Menu for Hope - Second Dessert, Lamingtons

A Menu for Hope is a collaborative menu by food and wine bloggers. Our goal is to raise money for UNICEF for those areas tragically affected by the recent tsunami. Now before you run off to enjoy the virtual treats, two requests.

• be sure to look through the menu above. Clicking any of the 12 courses and wine selections will take you the blog responsible (there may be small delay in posting). And,
• when you're done, consider that the needs in the affected areas are still very real. Give your support by donating via the UNICEF button. Large or small, it all helps. Think of it as the bottle of wine you didn't have to bring.

Bests to you all and cheers especially to Pim for her inspiration and work. Now for my part in this, lamingtons...


Lamingtons are blocks of day-old sponge cake, dipped in chocolate sauce and coated with desiccated coconut. Named, allegedly, after the fleckled shoulders of Baron Lamington, Governor of Queensland (1896-1901). Their roots are the resourceful salvaged failure of a sponge cake and reluctance to waste. They are uniquely Australian and our version of the fundraising brownies. So apologies, not a dish from the most affected countries but in these times we must ask the question, who is my neighbour?

(makes 12)

The Cake
[Note] The cake is made a day in advance and put in the fridge. A fresh cake will crumble when cut.

- 3 free-range eggs
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 2 cups of self-raising flour – sifted and sifted
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1/2 cup of warm milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Place the butter, sugar, and vanilla together in a bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, while beating well. Fold in the flour gradually, alternating with the milk.

Grease a rectangular cake tin (15x27cm) with butter and pour in the mixture. Bake in a 160C (325F) oven for 50 to 60 minutes, testing with a skewer. Allow the cake to stand for a few minutes before turning out. Refrigerate.

The Chocolate Sauce
-500gm of icing sugar
-1/3 cup of cocoa
-1 tablespoon of melted butter
-1/2 cup of warm milk

Beat together well, adjusting the volume of milk to get a smooth consistency.

Cut the lamingtons into 5cm cubes and then dip each cube into the chocolate sauce, allowing a little time to absorb. Now roll in a tray of desiccated coconut and then do the same with the lamingtons.

You may, if you wish, serve with the excess chocolate sauce.



_(--)_

---

Woot! Cracked the double monkey! Keep it coming babies.