2cupsunsweetened fine shredded(desiccated coconut)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (fan 160°C)
Grease and line a 23cm / 9" square baking pan with baking/parchment paper. (See note 2)
Make the cake
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside (flour mixture)
In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer or whisk to beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until light and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
Add the oil and mix for another minute.
Add half the flour mixture and gently fold to combine, then stir in half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.
Whisk or beat until just combined. Don't overmix. (See note 3)
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 -30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Leave the cake in the baking pan for 5 minutes then use the overhang baking paper to lift the cake out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Before coating the cake
Cut into portions (I cut the cake into 20 squares) (see note 4)
Freeze or refrigerate the cut squares for 1 hour just before coating. (See note 5)
Make the white chocolate sauce
Heat white chocolate, butter and milk together on medium low heat in a small pot. Just until the butter and white chocolate has melted.
Take it off the heat and whisk in the powdered (icing) sugar.
White chocolate and coconut coating
Use tongs or two forks to hold the individual cake squares and dip into the white chocolate sauce. Drip out the excess sauce. (See note 6)
Transfer the chocolate coated squares into the plate with the coconut. (See note 7)
Roll them around to coat them evenly. See note 8
Leave on a rack or plate to dry for a few minutes before serving.
Storage:
At room temperature: In an airtight container for up to 4 days.
In the refrigerator: In an airtight container for up to 1 week.
In the freezer: Lamingtons freeze well, so feel free to make a double batch of these melt-in-your-mouth treats. Either allow them to thaw for half an hour or pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Notes
1.White chocolate: You can use white baking chocolate or just grab regular white chocolate that you'd want to eat on its own.2. Baking pan: I used a 23cm / 9" square pan. The lamingtons baked up to 1 ½" (3.5 cm) thick.3. Don’t overmix the cake batter after adding the flour. This can toughen the texture and remove the air from the cake, making the baked cake too dense.4. Trim the edges of the cake as well. This allows all the sides to absorb the white chocolate mixture evenly, to get that perfectly rich coating all over.5. The frozen or colder cake is much easier to handle for the dipping in chocolate and coconut6. Don't over soak: Be careful- don’t leave the lamingtons in the white chocolate sauce too long as the cake will continue to absorb the liquid, making the lamingtons soggy. A quick outer coating is sufficient. Let as much excess white chocolate sauce drip off as you can and then coat them in the coconut.7.Spread only a small amount of coconut on the plate at one time; when it becomes clumpy with drips of the white chocolate sauce, replace it with fresh coconut.8.For a neat and perfect finish:
Cover all sides of a sponge cake portion in the white chocolate.
Then roll 4 sides in the coconut. Leave to dry for about 8-10 minutes before coating the remaining two sides in the coconut.
And don't worry, The chocolate will still be soft enough to coat the last two sides.
This way, you can avoid creating messy clumps of chocolate and coconut on the lamingtons