VeganMoFo: Cakey Treats From The Land Down Under

My goodness! Just look how far we've come! Today we land our hungry tummies Down Under! We're in Australia, mate! I suppose could have just picked up a big batch of kiwi fruits and called it New Zealand, but I'm not that devious.

My first thought was to make ANZAC biscuits, because I've heard so much about them over the years, but I've never had one. I even consulted with my real-live Australian yoga student. I drove all over town unsuccessfully looking for Vegemite. But, as I did all this rooting around... I learned about Lamingtons, and that pretty much sealed the deal! Chocolate-covered cake squares rolled in coconut?? Yes please! I used this recipe here.

First I made the cake, which was pretty straightforward to veganize. It's a little on the dry side, but I think it's supposed to be that way, from what I gather. I cut off the edges, which were a tad crispy, and cut everything into squares. One of the comments on the recipe site suggested freezing the cake squares before splitting them (to cut down on the crumbles) - I did this, and I think it was helpful. Then I split each one in half and put in a little layer of strawberry jam. Evidently, you can either not split them at all, split them and fill with whipped cream, or split them and fill with strawberry jam. I went for jam!

Here is my Lamington Assembly Station.

You gotta have all your ducks in a row! This Lamington business felt a lot like my Dominosteine adventure, so I felt like I knew (a little) what I was doing. You got all your re-frozen cake squares, filled with jam; your bowl of chocolate glaze; your dish of shredded coconuts; and a wire rack to place them on (with waxed paper underneath to catch all the drips and coconut shreds).

Don't they look beautiful? You can still see the flour and coconut shreddies on my cutting board! This platter of decadent yumminess is heading off to yoga class with me this morning. My Monday morning class has been benefitting lately... seems like I have the most time for baking on Sundays, and then a whole room of people to share with on Monday morning. Perfect!

Hey! How did Yummers get in there!?

Here's a look inside. Yummmmmmmmm. These Lamingtons are really rich! The cake is a refreshingly simple vanilla cake, light and perfect with the strawberry jam. Add on the chocolate glaze and coconut shreds, and you've got yourself a super tasty, super rich, and super messy little delight. I'm so happy to have discovered the wide world of Lamingtons!

So, tell me, Aussie Readers - how'd I do??

This is exactly what Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats looked like as he was eating his lamington(s). It was pretty adorable.

VeganMoFo is almost over... but don't unpack your bags just yet! We've still got one more destination... and then our trip home!