Lamingtons

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs (separated)
• pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp custard powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• icing sugar, cocoa & water (to make runny icing)
• Desiccated coconut (to roll in)

Method:

Beat egg whites and salt to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form. Fold in egg yolks gently. Mix up flours, custard and baking powder in a separate bowl then gently fold through egg mix. Pour into a tray and bake at 180 deg cel until pale golden brown and springy. Cut cooled cake into desired size and freeze (this makes them so much easier to dunk into the icing!).

Choose your tray based on what type of lamingtons you want. I used a square cake tin to achiever taller, square (ish!) lamingtons but you could easily create fingers by using a lamington or slice tray.

I will never give measurements on icing as you should always be making it by feel. Different icing sugars or mixtures will give you vastly different results so fret not and trust yourself!

Make a biggish batch of runny chocolate icing. It should be thick enough that some sticks to the cake but that the excess drips off. Dip each piece of cake in icing then cover in coconut. Pop in fridge for a little bit to help the icing set nicely.

For even more decadence, try replacing the custard powder with cocoa for double choc lamingtons!

The Ramblings:

Settling into a new community is hard. Particularly when I’m about as comfortable with new people and places as I would be squatting on a cactus…

Yesterday, our lovely neighbour invited me over to her house for smoko with her and her absolutely adorable baby boy. Never one to turn up empty handed, I made lamingtons and took pumpkin scones as well to cover all bases.

In my time as a govie I was spoilt with the constant company of an awesome kiddo and a family who included me in everything. I have been struggling a lot lately with the lonely nature of station cooking (a lot of alone time while the boys are out working). It’s funny, I feel so much more isolated 20 min from town than I ever did an hour and a half from town. However, a cup of tea, baby cuddles and conversations with such a kind, lovely lady have completely made my week and given me hope that one day, this place may feel like home.