Nothing beats biting into a freshly baked lamington.Vanilla sponge coated  in a layer of chocolate icing and then rolled in dessicated coconut. Simple, elegant and decidedly delicious. Iconically Australian. Most times a great lamington is hard to come by.

Here is a simple variation on the well loved lamington. Two ways. Vanilla patty cakes replace the classic squares of sponge.  Dipped in chocolate icing or for a very retro vibe –  partially set raspberry jelly. Before being rolled in shredded coconut. And there you have it chocolate lamington and raspberry jelly cakes. The staple of many a children’s party, school cake stall and fete in my childhood years.

Chocolate Lamington and Raspberry Jelly Patty Cakes

For The Vanilla Patty Cakes
Makes 24 cakes

125 g  butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

PREHEAT oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Grease and flour two 12-hole, flat-based patty pans, shaking out any excess flour.
CREAM together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
ADD egg and beat until just combined.
ADD flour, milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.
SPOON tablespoons of the mixture into the prepared tins.
BAKE for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. They’re ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove cakes from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To Make Chocolate Lamingtons

300g (2 cups) icing sugar mixture
35g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder
60ml (1/4 cup) milk
60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
2 1/2 cups desiccated coconut

SIFT the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Add the milk and water and stir until smooth.
DIP each patty cake into the warm icing to evenly coat. Allow any excess icing to drip off.
ROLL in coconut until evenly coated.Place on a wire rack and set aside until icing sets, about an hour.

To Make  Raspberry Jelly Cakes

250 ml (1 cup) boiling water
1 x 85 g (3 oz) packet strawberry or raspberry jelly crystals
200ml ( a little over 34 cup) cold water
2 1/2 cups desiccated coconut

POUR boiling water into a large heatproof jug. Sprinkle jelly crystals into jug, stir until crystals are dissolved, then stir in cold water.
COVER and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until jelly is just starting to set. It should be a thick and syrupy consistency, similar to that of egg whites. If it is too firm it will not stick to the cakes. If it is too thin it will soak right through the cakes causing them to disintegrate.
REMOVE jelly from refrigerator and quickly roll each cake in the jelly, coating it evenly.
TOSS the jelly-covered cake in coconut until it’s coated all over. Refrigerate for an hour or until firm.