These insanely delicate, perfectly-sized cubes of coconut cake, filled with homemade lime curd and coated in silky white chocolate and more desiccated coconut are a gorgeous blend of treats from two very different countries! Lamingtons, as we all know (maybe), are a classic Aussie treat, especially around Australia Day, which is fast-approaching! (January 26th, everyone, get your “g’days” and bbqs ready!). The coconut + lime combo harkens back to one of THE best drinks (non-alcoholic, though very easily the opposite!) I’ve ever had in my life: the creamiest, dreamiest limonada de coco in Colombia. I was with the ever-impressive Laura Jimenez – a former colleague and dear friend – in Cartagena, arguably one of the best spots to visit in Colombia if you like quaint old walled cities, carriage rides, GORGEOUS views, island hopping, and mind-blowing gin and tonics (best I’ve ever had, including a fair handful in the UK). We’d stopped for dinner at a great little restaurant that I totally forgot the name of and she insisted I try the limonada de coco, which, my friends, was the best decision I made all day. It’s a thick, glorious blend of fresh coconut and lime juice and it’s simply divine.
SO, when I decided I was going to go all out for Australia Day this year and make more than just my classic lamingtons (coming soon – think brown butter cake, raspberry jam, rich dark chocolate glaze, and toasted coconut!), a lamington to rival that Colombian creation was top of my list. They’re pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. If you’re wondering why I’m going nuts for Australia Day as an Oregon-raised American, here’s the background. I traveled to Australia for the first time when I was 13 on a People to People Student Ambassador Trip (an awesome program!), and fell in LOVE. With the food, the flora, the fauna, the people, the weather, the joy for life that seems to emanate from the very continent itself, etc. Years and years later I ended up dating an Australian-born fellow and traveled back to the land of lamingtons and blue mountains with him for an even more epic trip. So, here I am, still wishing I could go back down under and spend a season or two retracing my steps. In the meantime, I’ve got these lamingtons, so I’m set!
If you’re keen to try other international treats, try out this incredible Vietnamese pandan honeycomb cake, or these French financiers, or French canelés, or this Mexican tres leches cake (or this total twist: matcha tres leches cake!), or this *Australian* (disputed, I know) jasmine and raspberry pavlova, or these Mexican chocolate cupcakes, or this Irish soda bread!
Gluten Free Coconut Lime Lamingtons
Equipment
- 9×13 Cake pan
- Plastic wrap
- Small saucepan
- Freezer
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 Cup sour cream
- 3/4 Cup canola oil
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 3/4 Cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum added (if it doesn't have xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 1/2 Cup sweet rice flour
- 1/2 Cup arrowroot starch
- 1/2 Cup packed blanched almond meal
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 Cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
For the lime curd:
- 3/4 Cup white sugar
- 1/3 Cup lime juice
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
- 1 tsp coconut extract
- 3 Tbsp full fat coconut milk
- pinch salt
- 3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 Cup cold salted butter cubed
For the icing/glaze:
- 1/2 Cup whole milk
- 1/4 Cup heavy cream
- 1 Cup good quality white chocolate chopped
- 2 Cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
For assembly:
- 2 Cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp lime zest
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, then grease with butter or cooking spray. Then, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil, sugar, coconut extract, coconut milk, lime juice and zest until smooth and combined. Then whisk in the flours, starches, baking powder and soda, salt, and desiccated coconut until combined. Pour cake batter into your prepared pan, bang on the counter to release any air bubbles, and then bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack, and then wrap entire cake in plastic wrap and plate a few large books on top to carefully press the cake (so that your lamingtons are perfect cubes). Leave the cake to press for 6+ hours (or overnight).
- Once the cake is pressed, make your lime curd. Combine the sugar, lime juice and zest, coconut extract, coconut milk, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium low heat. While it's heating up, whisk your eggs and egg yolks together in a medium bowl. Once the pan mixture is hot, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the mixture into the eggs while whisking vigorously, this will temper your eggs. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pan and whisk constantly until cooked (still over medium low heat) and bubbling. The mixture will get thicker so keep cooking until it does. Then remove from heat and add the butter and stir until butter has melted and combined. Pour curd into a container and refrigerate until room temp/cool – about 45 minutes.
- Once the cake is pressed, unwrap it and trim off the four sides/edges of the cake to ensure you have sharp corners/square edges. Then cut the cake into 24 pieces – this should be about 2×2 inches per square. Then slice each square like a hamburger bun (ie slice parallel to the top and bottom of the cake square). Fill each square with about 2 tsp of cooled lime curd, then sandwich the cake back together so that you end up with 24 little cake sandwiches. Freeze unglazed lamingtons for at least an hour so that they set before glazing them.
- While lamingtons are freezing, make the icing/glaze. In a heat proof bowl, microwave the milk, cream, and coconut extract until hot, about one minute. Then add your chopped white chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes to melt, then stir together until chocolate is smooth and fully melted. Then add the butter and stir until butter has melted and combined. Then pour mixture into a medium bowl and sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until completely smooth.
- Glaze your lamingtons! Fill a med-small bowl with the extra desiccated coconut and the lime zest. Remove the lamingtons from the freezer and use a fork or a skewer to dunk each lamington into the glaze, and then let rest on a cooling rack for a minute before dunking the lamington into the coconut + lime zest to coat, then place back on the cooling rack. Repeat until all lamingtons have been glazed and rolled in coconut + lime zest, then freeze lamingtons again for at least 30 minutes before serving!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your lamingtons!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
