Raspberry lamingtons

Tam West

You can purchase a ready made sponge cake to make your lamingtons, but the following standard sponge cake is a snip to make. Make the sponge the day before using.

For the lamingtons

1 ½ cups	Frozen raspberries (Main)
85 g	Raspberry jelly crystals
1	Sponge cake, 20cm, store bought or use the recipe below (Main)
2 ½ cups	Coconut threads, use up to 3 cups, can be replaced with dessicated coconut (Main)
100 ml	Cream, whipped, use up to 150ml (Main)
1 punnet	Fresh raspberries (Main)
1 handful	White chocolate, shavings

For the sponge cake

3 large	Eggs, fresh
¾ cup	Caster sugar
½ tsp	Vanilla extract
1 cup	Plain flour
1 tsp	Baking powder
50 g	Butter, melted and cooled

Directions

To make the lamingtons

1. Puree the frozen raspberries in a food processor or use a stick blender. Press through a coarse sieve to extract raspberry seeds. Set aside.
2. Place the jelly crystals in a bowl, pour over 1 cup of boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add the raspberry puree and mix well. Leave the jelly to cool, cover and place in the fridge for about 45 minutes or until the jelly begins to thicken. It should be the consistency of raw egg white.
3. Cut the sponge cake into 4cm squares.
4. Place coconut on a flat plate or tray.
5. Dip each sponge square into the raspberry mixture, then roll in the coconut. Leave to dry on a wire rack.
6. Top each raspberry lamington with whipped cream, a fresh raspberry and a few shavings of white chocolate.

To make the sponge cake (if desired)

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Line the base of a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Lightly grease and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt until frothy. Add sugar gradually and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then sift onto the egg mixture. Gently fold in, using a large metal spoon. Lastly, fold in the melted butter. Gently place in the prepared tin, keeping as much air in the mixture as you can.
4. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and the sponge is springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool.

Kathy recommends

• Use a small skewer to help you dip and turn the sponge squares in the raspberry jelly mixture.
• No fresh raspberries, then swirl 1 tablespoon of raspberry jam through the whipped cream.
• Any leftover raspberry puree can be sweetened with icing sugar and used as a sauce.
• Crushed, freeze-dried raspberry is lovely over top.

More raspberry recipes from Kathy

• Raspberry ricotta tarts
• Small batch raspberry jam
• Raspberry biscuits