Lamington Cake

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC fan forced.
2. Grease the sides of three 20cm square cake tins and line the bases with baking paper.
3. Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the butter and sugar and beat until pale and creamy, scraping down the side often. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined, adding a little of the measured flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
5. Add the sifted flour mixture to the batter in batches, alternating with the milk, mixing well in between additions. Use a spatula to fold in the melted butter until just combined.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 prepared cake tins, levelling and smoothing the tops.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked in the centre and golden, rotating the cakes between the shelves equally during cooking.
8. While the cake is cooking, make the mascarpone cream. Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed until firm peaks. Add the mascarpone and whip until the mixture just thickens back to firm peaks, taking care not to overmix as the mixture can split.
9. Transfer mascarpone cream into a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and refrigerate until ready to use.
10. Once the cakes are cooked, cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then loosen the cake from the edges with a pallet knife before turning out onto a wire rack, top-side-up. Chill for approximately 10 minutes.
11. Trim the tops of the cakes to 2.5cm high, then trim the sides to create a 17 x 17cm square. Leave the base untrimmed.
12. Place the cakes onto wire racks and chill for a further 10 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, to make the chocolate icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Mix in the melted butter and boiling water until smooth and combined. Set aside on the bench and keep the icing warm over a bowl of boiling water.
14. Place the coconut into a large shallow tray.
15. When the cakes are cool, working with one cake at a time, carefully spread the icing over the sides and base of 2 of the cakes, allowing any excess to drip off, leaving the top side that was trimmed un-iced.
16. Transfer the cake, icing-side-down, into the coconut and use clean hands to press coconut onto the sides and the base until well coated. Transfer to a wire rack with the un-iced top facing down. Repeat the same process with another layer of cake.
17. Then with the remaining cake layer, ice the sides only leaving both the top and bottom un-iced, which will become the middle cake layer. Chill until the icing is set.
18. To assemble, place one of the cakes onto a serving plate with the iced base facing down. Spread half of the jam evenly over the top, just to the edge of the icing.
19. Starting around the edge, pipe a shell pattern 2cm high of mascarpone cream over the jam, then fill in the middle to cover the entire cake with cream, ensuring the cream in the centre is slightly higher than around the edges.
20. Top with the middle cake layer. Cover with the remaining jam, then pipe another layer of mascarpone cream. Top with the final cake layer, iced side on top. Place on a plate ready to serve.

Sefton’s supplied from CWA of NSW.