Thursday 21 July 2016

Malted banana lamingtons with Milo

What else is there to do on National Lamington Day but make lamingtons.  It was a close call.  I usually miss these foodie celebration days.  But I had a vision.  I've been wanting to try a lamington with Milo in the chocolate icing.  If you don't live in Australia you might need a translation of this sentence: "I've been wanting to try a piece of cake dipped in chocolate frosting and shredded coconut with chocolate malt powder in the chocolate frosting."  If you haven't tried lamingtons, I highly recommend you do so.  They are a sentimental favourite for me but honestly they taste delicious.

As it happens I also needed to use some manky bananas and searching the web for ideas turned up the brilliant idea of making banana cake instead of sponge cake to make lamingtons.  I simplified a recent favourite vegan banana cake, referred to some impressive lamington icing but added heaps of milo.  I looked at this Love SWAH milo icing and was impressed and the high proportion of milo but am not sure it would work that way on lamingtons.  Nevertheless I think the milo gave the icing a nice mellow malty flavour.

E tells me that these lamingtons are extremely moreish.  I tend to agree.  Sylvia demands that she has one in her lunchbox tomorrow and in turn I am demanding that she wash her hands after she eats them because she creates such a sticky mess with them.

Though I really love them, the great Aussie lamington is so messy to make and eat.  Perhaps next time I just do the modern thing and spread the top of the cake with chocolate icing and sprinkle coconut over it.  Far easier and cleaner.  Yet just not the same as dunking the chunks of cake in icing and coconut!  So I am sure there will be more batches of lamingtons in my kitchen.  Meanwhile I wish you a happy National Lamington Day.

I am sending these lamingtons to Choclette for We Should Cocoa.  I am also sending them to Janie (and Karen) for Tea Time Treats.

For more Aussie recipes check out my Australia Day recipes

Malted banana lamingtons with Milo
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe recipe

1/2 cup soy milk1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
3/4 cup banana purée (about 2 bananas)
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups plain flour (I used half white, half wholemeal)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (ie baking soda)

 Chocolate icing:
15g margarine
1/2 cup soy milk
1 cup Milo (chocolate malt) powder*
250g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa

100g coconut

Mix milk and vinegar or lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.  Mix banana, sugar,  oil and salt.  By now the milk mixture should be slightly curdled and can be mixed in.  Add flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda.  Stir until combined.  Scrape into a greased and lined 20cm square  cake tin.  Bake at 180 C until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  (20 to 30 minutes depending on your oven.)

Leave the sponge overnight (or place in fridge for an hour to firm up).

When you are ready to coat the lamingtons, make the chocolate icing.  Choose a heatproof bowl that is about medium mixing bowl size but not too deep because you will be dipping into it.  Stir the margarine and milk in this bowl over a gently simmering saucepan of water until the butter has melted. Turn off heat and remove bowl from the saucepan.  Stir in milo until it dissolves.  Sift the icing sugar and cocoa together and mix into the milk mixture until you have an icing that seems thick when stirring but drizzles off the spoon easily.

Cut the sponge cake into 20 squares (ie four rows lengthways and widthways).  Set up the bowl of chocolate icing with two forks and a spoon, a shallow bowl of the coconut with two forks and a large wire rack.  Drop a square of cake into the chocolate icing and cover in icing, spooning icing over it if necessary.  Pick up the square with two forks and hold above the bowl to let as much icing as possible drip back into the bowl.  Drop the icing covered cake into the bowl of coconut.  Use the forks with the coconut to toss the cake in coconut.  Pick up the cake with the forks and place gently on the wire rack.  As you can see in my list of equipment, I find it easiest to use different forks for the icing and coconut bowls.  This recipe will drip a little under the wire rack.

The lamingtons can be kept in an airtight container.  They are best on the day of making, great the next day and then after that start to diminish in texture.

NOTE: These are vegan if you don't use the milo.  To make these vegan I suggest substituting this chocolate icing (though I think I needed a bit less) and perhaps adding some malt extract syrup instead of soy milk if you would like the malt flavour.

On the Stereo:
Hits of the 1950s: Various Artists

20 comments:

  1. Now that's an interesting take on a lamington! I don't think I've ever made traditional lamingtons in a vegan way, but these ones are intriguing. I love the sound of banana and malt together. Also, I don't think I see the word manky on blogs as often as I should!

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    1. Thanks Joey - Manky is such a satisfying word to use and I think it is possible to make a decent vegan lamington, though I suspect some traditionalists will not agree with me

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  2. These sound very nice - my son was asking me to make lamingtons just the other day but the usual chocolate or raspberry didn't really inspire me. Looks like we are sorted now.

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  3. I'm glad I didn't know it was lamington day, I would have caved in and stuffed up my juice plans! They are messy to make but so quick to eat. I would be making them more often if I didn't have a coconut-hating child.

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    1. Thanks Veganopoulous - if I had a coconut hating child I would wail loudly and then just bake them anyway and eat it all myself - and I think it is the first time I have ever actually made lamingtons for National Lamington Day (I suspect having made them a few times has made me more confident)

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  4. I love your twist on lamingtons, especially as I associate malted banana flavours with Australia somehow (maybe it's the banana flavoured paddlepops I used to eat). I do love lamingtons and would make them more often if it wasn't for the fiddlyness - and as you know, have an English workplace who now loves them too ;) I am sure these would be equally popular.

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    1. Thanks Kari - I am sure you need to try these for your workplace and for those paddlepop memories (never got into paddlepops but loved the adverts)

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  5. Wow, these look great! National Lamington Day just passed me by.

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - you manage to mark so many events on your blog that I am surprised any day passes you by but I guess you just can't keep up with it all

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  6. What a fun variation! I reckon Milo and banana are both terrific Aussie inclusions.

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    1. Thanks Cindy - yes - milo and banana just seem classic aussie breakfast ingredients and make me feel a little nostalgic

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  7. I've never had a Lamington, but getting a good idea that they taste fab from reading your blog over the last few years. The usual ones sound great, but I love you variation here.... sounds extra special!

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    1. Thanks Kate - lamingtons are meant to be quite light so I think making them GF is not too hard - hope you get to try them some day

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  8. I LOVE the idea of banana lamingtons. I am totally keeping this in mind for next Lamingtons Day (which is obviously February 14th in my household ;) )

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    1. Thanks Caeli - love your lamington day - it is a perfect romantic treat given the amount of work they need

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  9. Oh these sound delicious Johanna. Lamingtons have been on my list of things to try, pretty much since I started my blog. And guess what? It still hasn't happened. Love the idea of your malted banana version. Thanks for sharing them with We Should Cocoa.

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    1. Thanks Choclette - I hope you get around to making lamingtons - they are so delicious - I still have more ideas so will try and keep you motivated :-)

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  10. Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. YES!
    I've never had lamingtons, I'm not sure I have actually heard of them outside of your blog.
    Messy desserts are the best. Dunking should be a requirement on a regular basis.

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    1. Thanks Kimmy - lamingtons are lots of fun to make but not the healthiest treat - though I still urge you to try them because chocolate chocolate and more chocolate!

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