Lamingtons are probably about the only dessert Aussies have invented, consisting of these chocolate and coconut coated squares of sponge sometimes served with cream and/or jam in the middle. They use to be a stable item in every bakery but in recent years I hardly see them around, and most of them are dry and unappealing. I had a hankering for one the other day and thought I'd come up with a raw twist on a classic recipe... turned out so amazing I was eating them at 9pm at night!
This recipe took some planning, I had to estimate each of the 4 part process and come up with a raw substitution for everything. I wanted to get fancy and instead of opting for a plain sponge with the chocolate covering, I thought I'd add the 'cream' and the 'jam' into the lamington. After all, that's the best way to eat it in the traditional way.
I decided to use almonds for the 'sponge', and for that beautiful white colour inside I peeled all the almonds. You can buy blanched ones if you want to skip that process. The shredded coconut and the milk gives it a moist sponge-like consistency. To make the 'cream' part I made a coconut panna cotta which layered over the top of the sponge. I used agar gar to set it and it sat beautifully over the top adding a creamy texture. The berry compote was just frozen berries mixed together. I didn't bother setting it into a jam consistency since it would be held together with the chocolate covering.
I would suggest make the berry compote first and leave it in the freezer just to harden a little. The lamington itself actually super easy to make even though it's a 4 part recipe. The hardest part was at the end coating it, got a bit messy and everything was covered in ganache! Took a few to figure out a system to minimize chocolate topping going all over everything.
The result however is these amazing moist squares of yumminess without the guilt and the after effects of sponge and cream and dairy. The look and taste great and keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks. A wonderful raw version of this good old Aussie classic!
I decided to use almonds for the 'sponge', and for that beautiful white colour inside I peeled all the almonds. You can buy blanched ones if you want to skip that process. The shredded coconut and the milk gives it a moist sponge-like consistency. To make the 'cream' part I made a coconut panna cotta which layered over the top of the sponge. I used agar gar to set it and it sat beautifully over the top adding a creamy texture. The berry compote was just frozen berries mixed together. I didn't bother setting it into a jam consistency since it would be held together with the chocolate covering.
I would suggest make the berry compote first and leave it in the freezer just to harden a little. The lamington itself actually super easy to make even though it's a 4 part recipe. The hardest part was at the end coating it, got a bit messy and everything was covered in ganache! Took a few to figure out a system to minimize chocolate topping going all over everything.
The result however is these amazing moist squares of yumminess without the guilt and the after effects of sponge and cream and dairy. The look and taste great and keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks. A wonderful raw version of this good old Aussie classic!
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Raw Lamingtons
Lamington Sponge 3 cups blanched almonds (soaked overnight) 2 cups shredded coconut 1/2 cup honey (maple) 3/4 cup coconut milk 1/4 cup coconut oil 1 TBS vanilla extract Panna cotta 1 cup coconut milk 2 TBS coconut nectar 1/2 tsp vanilla pinch of salt 2 tsp agar agar 8 tsp hot boiling water Berry Compote 1 cup frozen mixed berries 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp coconut nectar pinch of salt Chocolate Ganache 2 cups cacao powder 1 cup syrup 1 cup coconut oil 1/4 tsp sea salt |
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1. Blend all ingredients for sponge together until smooth consistency
2. Take half out and spread over a small square/rectangle cake tin
3. With the panna cotta, do it in two stages. You have to work quite fast with agar agar as it solidifies quickly. Add all the ingredients except for the agar agar and water into the blender.
4. In a small bowl, add hot boiling water and agar agar together and whisk until dissolved, add into blender and blend all ingredients together
5. Pour over the base sponge and leave to set, should take about 15 mins
6. Blend all ingredients for the berry compote and spread evenly over the top of the panna cotta (to help set it fast put the compote in the freezer for a little first while until it's not so runny then spread over)
7. Put the whole thing in the freezer and leave for an hour
8. Add the top layer of the sponge, flatten down. Work carefully as you can push the berry compote too hard, you want a nice even layer over the top
9. Leave to freeze for an hour
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10. Blend all the ganache ingredients together and put inside a large bowl
11. Prepare a tray or plate of shredded coconut
12. Take the lamington sponge out the freezer, and cut into square pieces, coat the pieces in the ganache (the covering will harden fairly quickly since the coconut oil will react to the cold)
13. Roll in the shredded coconut
14. After all the squares have been covered, refrigerate for 30 mins and enjoy!
* Makes roughly about 20 squares
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