Good lord, city's giant lamington takes the cake

Take 200 litres of egg, 535kg of sponge mix, 75kg of jam, 75kg of lamington mix, 68kg of desiccated coconut and 230 litres of water.

Mix all that together and what do you have?

The world's biggest lamington.

The Queensland city of Ipswich is claiming fame by making the lamington, which, when complete, will measure 2.28m square by 1.5m high.

It's to celebrate National Lamington Day next week.

For added frisson, the event coincides with a visit to Ipswich by the great-grandson and great-granddaughter of Lord Lamington, in whose name the cake was created.

Lord Lamington was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901.

It is said a maidservant to Lord Lamington at Government House in Brisbane accidentally dropped the governor's favourite sponge cake into some melted chocolate.

Not one to waste food, His Lordship suggested the chocolate-covered sponge be rolled in coconut to avoid messy fingers, and the lamington was born.

People in Toowoomba and even New Zealand claim credit for the creation of the cake, but Brisbane's claim appears strongest.

Lord Lamington's bemused great-grandson, Alex Scrimgeour, said he "had no idea this lamington cake was so big in Australia. It's relatively unheard of back in Europe. It's very much an Australian thing."

Two Ipswich bakers will take nearly two days to create the giant chocolate- and coconut-covered sponge.

- AAP