Olive oil lamingtons
A modern version of traditional Australian Morning or Afternoon tea cake, using an olive oil cake base and dark chocolate ganache. I've chosen a fresh and fruity olive oil, such as Cobram Estate from Victoria, Australia, but it's also delicious with their Lemon Twist for the fresh taste of lemon without squeezing or zesting.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup Cobram Fresh and Fruity or Lemon Twist Australian Extra Virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup "sticky" (Aussie for sweet wine - I've used Victoria's Innocent-Bystander Moscato, see notes following)
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients:
- 8 oz (1 cup) bittersweet chocolate (70%Cocoa), chopped
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons Sticky or Late Harvest wine (optional)
- Desiccated coconut, for coating
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil an 8 or 9 -inch square cake pan with olive oil.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs at medium speed until pale yellow, thick, and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the olive oil along with the wine, milk and lemon zest and beat at low speed until blended.
- Beat in the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then unmold the cake onto the rack to cool completely.
- To make the Ganache, place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow to just come to a boil, then add the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes then stir with a whisk until smooth. Add Late harvest wine if desired
- Make a production line with the cake, cut into 2 inch squares, the ganache and the coconut in a shallow dish. Have a wire rack ready over a pan to catch the drips. Skewer a cake square with a fork and spoon chocolate over to coat all sides. Roll in coconut then place on rack to set.
About Cobram Estate Olive Oils
Cobram Estate Olive Oils are Australia's leading premium extra virgin olive oils, made from olives hours after picking in the pristine northern region of Victoria where many fine wines are also made. You can also visit the Cobram Estate groves and cellar door when you visit Australia.
For more information, visit www.cobramestate.com.au
Wine Pairing:
Innocent Bystander's pale pink 375 ml. serve of Moscato is a refreshing sipper, offering delicious aromas of watermelon, musk and rose petals alongside red apples and Hubba Bubba.
On the off-dry palate, strawberries and sherbet ice cream are lifted by a fresh acid zing and a gentle mouth-tingling fizz. The classy bottle flaunts a crown seal to maintain absolute freshness and a lively spritz. Enjoy immediately or cellar up to 12 months.
The history of the lamington:
The chocolate lamington is as Australian as meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars, ranking alongside the other true Australian icons of the peach melba and Vegemite.
This Australian culinary icon, which consists of sponge cake dipped in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with fine desiccated coconut, is believed to have been created through an accident at work by a maid-servant to Lord Lamington, the thoroughly-British eighth Governor of Queensland. The maid-servant was working at Government House in Brisbanewhen she accidentally dropped the Governor's favourite sponge cake into some melted chocolate.
Lord Lamington was not a person of wasteful habits and suggested that it be dipped in coconut to cover the chocolate to avoid messy fingers. Lord Lamington devoured this new taste sensation with great delight and the maid-servant's error was proclaimed a magnificent success by all!
Lord Lamington was born in London, England on 29 July 1860 as Charles Wallace Alexander Napier COCHRANE-BAILLIE holding the aristocratic title of Baron Lamington. He was Governor of Queensland from 9 April 1896 to 19 December 1901 and as a result, the lamington was considered 100 years old on 19 December 2001. After leaving Queensland, he went on to become the Governor of Bombay in India for 4 years. He died at Lamington House, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1940.
According to Hansardat the Australian Constitutional Convention in Canberra on 11 February 1998, Cr Paul Tully, an elected delegate representing QUEENSLANDERS FOR A REPUBLIC suggested that his extensive research of the Governors of the 6 Australian colonies and states had produced evidence of only "one, single, solitary, positive achievement of any Governor since the First Fleet arrived in 1788" and that was Lord Lamington's contribution to the culinary delights of the Australian nation!
