Lamingtons are a traditional Australian treat and usually eaten on Australia Day which is on the 26th January each year. Not surprisingly there is also a Maltese version using strawberry jelly.
I have made a Maltese version which is strawberry flavoured lamingtons using strawberry jelly. Although they may not be traditionally Maltese as such the strawberry version can be bought in some bakeries in Malta today and were also sold in the vans that used to (and in some places still do) go around the villages in Malta. Not sure where it originated from but I would like to think that the many immigrants that went to Australia in the past may have had something to do with it.
My aunty from Malta that lives in Australia used to make these with my cousins and I used to enjoy them very much. On my recent trip to Malta I bought these a few times from my local baker in Mellieha which is a village in the northern part of the island. Just delicious.
Happy Australia Day everyone!
- For the cake:
- 225 grams butter
- 225 grams castor sugar
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
- 225 grams self raising flour and 1 tsp baking powder sifted together
- For the coating:
- 1 packet strawberry jelly (crystals or jelly)
- 50 grams butter
- 150 ml boiling water
- 1½ tablespoons strawberry jam
- 50 grams icing sugar
- 200 grams desiccated coconut
- Preheat oven to 180oC.
- Line a medium sized cake tin with baking paper and smear the sides with butter.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer.
- Slowly beat in the eggs.
- Gently fold in the flour and baking powder to form a thick batter.
- Pour into the tin and bake in the oven for 25 - 30 mins. It is done when a skewer is inserted into the cake and it comes out clean.
- Place in the fridge for about 2 hours or leave overnight to cool completely.
- Start preparing the jelly mixture about 45 minutes before you are ready to use the cake.
- In a pan place the jelly, butter and boiling water together.
- Heat until the jelly and butter has completely melted.
- Remove from the heat and add in the icing sugar.
- Place in the fridge for about half an hour to cool and set slightly. It should be a thick liquid consistency.
- In a bowl place a few tablespoons of the coconut (you will need to keep adding once you have used it up).
- Cut the cake into about twenty medium sized rectangles. Also trim the side edges of the cake.
- Remove the jelly liquid from the fridge.
- Now dip each side of your first cake piece into the jelly mixture. Then dip immediately into the coconut mixture to coat each side with coconut.
- Place in a container lined with paper towel.
- Continue the same process and add a few tablespoons at a time of the coconut into the bowl.
- Place in the fridge for about an hour before serving or you can also prepare this a day in advance.