Elvis Presley Lamingtons

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It's Lamington time again!

And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's when Mr. P. hosts the Reinvent the Lamington Contest on his blog Delicious, Delicious, Delicious. Lamingtons are an Australian dessert consisting of squares of cake with a jam filling covered in chocolate and shredded coconut. Last year, I submitted three entries. You can check them out here and here. My S'Mores Lamingtons actually placed 2nd.

This year, I had the greatest of plans. It was going to be a veritable Lamington extravaganza. I had ideas for at least four different Lamington creations. But alas, I procrastinated, and then life just got in the way. To illustrate—the reason I'm typing this at 10 p.m. just two hours before the deadline is that I spent the entire evening involved with the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. (Yes, I am Master o' the Cubs.) Unfortunately, only one of my ideas made it to fruition. It's sad, I know, but at least I've got some ideas ready to go for next year if Mr. P decides to once again hold the competition.

So without further ado, I give you (drum roll please)...

the ELVIS PRESLEY LAMINGTON!

My inspiration for this Lamington was Elvis' favorite sandwich, which contains three of my favorite flavors together in one—peanut butter, banana, and bacon. 

Now wait!

Just stop right there, and wipe that look of disgust off your face.

Do NOT knock it till you've tried it.

You're probably thinking, "Hmm. Banana and peanut butter—I'm OK with that. But bacon? No way. That's too weird!" Well, just think of it this way. You know how adding sea salt to sweet desserts like caramels and brownies is all the rage? (If you didn't know that, just trust me. It is.) The bacon is just a little bit of salty goodness that balances out the sweetness and adds an interesting smokiness.

For these Lamingtons, I made a banana pound cake for the cake part. The filling is a peanut butter frosting. I then dipped the squares in chocolate and sprinkled bacon pieces on top.

In my opinion, Elvis was really onto something, and these Elvis inspired Lamingtons turned out really well. I brought them into work to use my students and coworkers as guinea pigs. I admit I got some skeptical looks, but everyone gave the Lamingtons a fair chance. In the end, everyone liked them. Most were pleasantly surprised.

I found the Elvis Lamingtons quite addicting. I ended up eating too many of them, which is not good. I'd better be careful, or I'm starting to look like Elvis in his later years.

Oh, and by the way, this banana pound cake recipe is fantastic by itself.

If you're wondering what the Kewpie doll is doing in the photo, it was my 2nd place prize for last year's Lamington contest. A little strange, I know, but still fun. It comes from Japan and arrived in a sealed box where you don't know what kind of Kewpie is inside—kind of like Cracker Jacks or Kinder eggs. I got the deer Kewpie from the animal collection. Kewpie dolls and other assorted figurines show up in Mr. P's blog posts, so I thought I'd include mine in the photo as a shout out to Mr. P to say thanks for holding the competition. It was a lot of fun coming up with these Lamingtons.

So, with 10 minutes to go till midnight. I'm going to hit the publish button and go to bed.

Good night.



Elvis Presley Lamingtons

Banana Pound Cake
Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 egg whites
• ⅔ cup vanilla or banana yogurt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9"x5"x3″ loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease bottom again. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bananas, sugar, egg whites, and yogurt. Mix until thoroughly blended. Add the flour mixture. Blend until no flour is visible. Pour into the loaf pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool in the pan on a rack for ten minutes. Remove to the rack and cool completely.


Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients:

• ½ cup peanut butter smooth
• 5 Tbsps. butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 -3 tablespoon milk (only if needed to thin)

Directions:

Beat peanut butter and butter together with electric mixer. Add sugar. If too thick, add a little milk.

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 2 Tbsps. Shortening
  

Preparation:

Melt together in a pan over a low heat.

Elvis Presley Lamington Assembly:

• 1 loaf banana pound cake
  
• Peanut butter frosting
  
• Chocolate glaze
  
• Crumbled bacon pieces
  

It works best if you freeze the cake. After the cake is frozen, cut into 1" squares that are a ½" thick. Sandwich two pieces of cake with the peanut butter frosting. Dip and cover with chocolate glaze. Sprinkle bacon pieces on top.