History ofLamington or LemmingtonHistory and Recipe © copyright 2004 by Linda Stradley - United States Copyright TX 5-900-517- All rights reserved. This web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission and appropriate credit given. If you use any of the history information contained below for research in writing a magazine or newspaper article, school work or college research, and/or television show production, you must give a reference to the author, Linda Stradley, and to the web site What's Cooking America.
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They are served with tea in the afternoon. Lamington’s are so popular in Australia that the cakes are a favorite means of raising money for school groups, churches, and scouts and girl guides. These money making adventure are called Lamington Drives. The cake is named after Charles Wallace Baillie, Lord Lamington, the governor of Queensland from 1895 to 1901. Lord Lamington was known for wearing a homburg hat that looked like the cakes. For many years lamingtons were served on state ceremonial occasions in Queensland. But Baron Lamington himself could by no means abide them. He invariably referred to them as “those bloody poofy woolly biscuits.” Another source recounts the slightly less dramatic circumstance of the baron's cook concocting the dessert as a way to use up stale or slightly burnt sponge cake. The Scots and the New Zealanders also claim credit. The Scots say it was a sheep shearer's wife in the village of Lamington who made the cake for a group of traveling sheep shearers. New Zealanders enjoy lamingtons just as much as the Australians. They refer to the cake as leamington or lemmington, which are names of towns. Lamington/Lemmington Recipe Sponge Cake: Chocolate Frosting: Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. place oven rack to middle position. Either butter or spray the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray of an 8-inch square baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In another bowl using your electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each egg addition. Add the vanilla extract to the mixture and mix well. Use a spatula to alternately mix in the sifted flour mixture and the milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Spread the batter into the prepared cake dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake approximately 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven. Let the cake cool in the baking dish for approximately 7 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to let cool. Once the cake has cooled, cut it into 16 (2-inch squares) and wrap each square of cake in plastic wrap. Place the cake squares in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (more is better). To prepare the Chocolate Frosting: Place the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and of pouring consistency. Remove from heat. NOTE: You don't want the liquid to get too thin as the cake won't absorb the frosting properly.
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