Laming-not
A sponge with a raspberry jam centre, covered with a raspberry soak and desiccated coconut, the lamington is a real classic Kiwi treat.
- prepare
- cook
- 24 servings
- Moderate
French-trained pastry chef Maxine Scheckter has spent the past 11 years honing her craft in some of the world’s top kitchens — including Gâteaux Thoumieux in Paris, The Fat Duck and Sketch in London, and Logan Brown in Wellington. In 2019, she founded Sugar Flour Pastry School, which she continues to run from her base in Wellington, New Zealand.
Scheckter is also now a published author. Her new book, Patisserie Made Simple, features recipes that can all be made in a single tin and aims to demystify the challenges of baking for everyday people.
Her lamington recipe is not traditional (hence the name) but inspired by all those classic flavours. The key is to make sure the cake is not overbaked and soaking it well, she says.
If making your own raspberry purée, start with either fresh or defrosted frozen fruit. Blend the fruit with a blender until smooth. Then strain the blended fruit through a sieve to remove any seeds or large chunks.
Ingredients
- For the sponge:
- 60g soft butter
- 120g sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 100g flour (gluten free, if desired)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 30g desiccated coconut
- 90g coconut cream
- For the raspberry compote:
- 1½ sheets gelatine
- 160g seedless raspberry purée
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 40g sugar
- 1½ teaspoons pectin
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid
- 2½ sheets gelatine
- For the raspberry mousse:
- 200g seedless raspberry purée (see note above if making your own)
- 20g sugar
- 200g cream
- For whipped coconut cream:
- 100g cream
- 50g coconut cream
- 20g icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- To decorate:
- 200g desiccated coconut
- whipped coconut cream
- freeze-dried raspberries, crushed
Instructions
- For the coconut cake: Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a tin 16cm x 26cm and 3.5cm deep.
- In a bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until smooth.
- Whisk in the egg whites until fully combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder and desiccated coconut and whisk until smooth, followed by the coconut cream.
- Pour into the lined tin and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cake is just set to the touch, but not yet starting to get any colour on it.
- Leave to cool while you make the compote.
- For raspberry compote: Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until soft. Drain and set aside.
- Bring the raspberry purée and vanilla to a boil.
- In a bowl, whisk the sugar, pectin and citric acid together.
- Whisk this into the boiling purée and continue to cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatine.
- Pour over the coconut cake and level off with a palette knife.
- Freeze for at least an hour before making the raspberry mousse.
- For raspberry mousse: Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until soft.
- Drain and put in a small pot with 20g of raspberry purée and the sugar.
- Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatine has completely melted into the purée.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining purée.
- Whip the cream to medium peaks.
- Once the raspberry base has cooled to about 30°C, or body temperature, fold in the cream until just combined. Pour over the frozen compote and level off with a palette knife.
- Freeze overnight, or until solid.
- See Techniques section (here) on how to portion your petit gâteau. Portion the gâteau into 24 pieces that are 4 x 4cm squares and store frozen until ready to finish.
- For whipped coconut cream: Whisk everything together until it forms stiff peaks. Use immediately to finish the gâteaux, as below.
- To finish: Place the coconut in a shallow tray or bowl.
- Leave the portioned frozen gâteaux out at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Press each side of the gâteaux and the top into the coconut to coat the mousse.
- Use a teaspoon to create a quenelle of cream to add on top of each gâteau.
- Top with a few pieces of crushed freeze-dried raspberry and allow to defrost fully before serving.
