Description
Raspberry Lamingtons are a delightful Australian dessert featuring light and fluffy hot milk sponge cake squares coated in a vibrant raspberry glaze and rolled in desiccated coconut. This recipe combines a moist, tender sponge with a sweet and tangy berry coating, creating a perfect bite-sized treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
For the Hot Milk Sponge Cake:
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 2 cups cake flour (220 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Raspberry Glaze and Coating:
- 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1¼ cup water, divided
- 10 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
- 2 cups powdered sugar (250 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Warm the Eggs: Place the eggs in their shells into a bowl of warm water to bring them to room temperature. This step helps the eggs whip to a higher volume, which is crucial for a light sponge.
- Prepare the Oven and Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch square cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Warm Milk and Butter: In a saucepan, heat the whole milk and butter over low heat until the butter has melted. Keep this warm on the lowest heat setting while preparing the eggs.
- Beat Eggs and Sugar: Crack the warmed eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the granulated sugar. Beat on high speed for 8 to 15 minutes until the mixture triples in volume, turns pale yellow, and achieves the ribbon stage.
- Sift and Fold Dry Ingredients: Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture. Gently fold with a spatula until just combined, leaving some flour streaks.
- Combine Milk Mixture and Batter: Stir vanilla extract into the warm milk and gradually pour this into the batter. Fold by hand, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate the flour.
- Divide and Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 34 minutes, starting to check doneness at 30 minutes with a toothpick, which should come out clean.
- Cool the Cakes: Once baked, set the pans on a wire rack and let the cakes cool completely in the pans.
- Prepare Gelatin: Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a small dish and let it soften for 5 minutes.
- Cook Raspberry Syrup: Heat 1 cup water with sugar over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add thawed raspberries and cook for 5-8 minutes.
- Strain and Combine Gelatin: Strain the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing to extract liquid and discarding seeds. Heat the softened gelatin in the microwave for about 10 seconds until syrupy, then whisk into the raspberry syrup.
- Make the Glaze: Sift powdered sugar into a bowl, then pour the raspberry syrup over it and whisk until smooth. Add red food coloring if using. Chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Prepare for Assembly: Place a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Trim edges from cooled sponge cakes and cut into 2-inch squares. Freeze the squares for 30 minutes to firm them up.
- Coat the Lamingtons: Set up two bowls – one with the raspberry glaze, the other with desiccated coconut. Remove cake squares from the freezer. Using a fork to hold each square, spoon raspberry glaze over all sides, allowing excess to drip back. Then spoon coconut over the glaze to coat fully. Place coated squares on the wire rack.
- Chill to Set: Refrigerate the coated lamingtons on the baking sheet for 20-30 minutes to allow the glaze to set properly before serving.
Notes
- Warming the eggs before beating improves volume, making the sponge light and airy.
- Achieving the ribbon stage when beating eggs and sugar is critical; it indicates enough air has been incorporated.
- Red food coloring is optional but helps restore the bright raspberry color lost when the glaze turns purple naturally.
- You can cut the sponge cake in any size, but small, bite-sized pieces are traditional for lamingtons.
- Freezing the cake squares before glazing makes handling and coating much easier and neater.
- Using a fork to hold the cake squares during glazing is more precise and less messy than dipping.
