Alfajore Lamingtons

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Not a birthday, but another special occasion at the office... Heather, one the students I have worked with the past couple of years, is going on an LDS mission to Australia. Today, she goes into the Mission Training Center.

Heather was stopping by the office for one last goodbye, and I wanted to bring treats–something Australian. Even though I've never tried an Australian dessert, I recently read on a food blog about Lamingtons, an Australian dessert consisting of cubes of cake with some sort of filling covered in chocolate and coconut. Mr. P, the author of the blog, was holding a competition to come up with new and creative versions of the dessert from down under. I originally thought of entering, but never got around to it. You can check out some of the entries here.

Since I had recently made one of my favorite cookies, Argentine alfajores, I immediately thought Lamingtons with a dulce de leche filling sounded pretty incredible. Actually, anything with dulce de leche sounds pretty incredible. For the cake, I decided to go with pound cake. For the glaze, good chocolate is a must since I personally can't stand that waxy fake stuff. And when it comes to shredded coconut, I prefer toasted.

Once I finished, chocolate and coconut was literally everywhere, but my Lamingtons looked every bit as good as the ones I saw online. And how did they taste? Well, one of my students gave it this review: "It's heaven on a plate!" And do you know what? I completely agree.

So, give these a try. They're worth it.

I think I might try some of the other inventive Lamingtons on Mr. P.'s blog. Or, maybe I'll come up with some new combinations. I'll keep you posted.

Good luck in Australia, Heather! And may

you enjoy many wonderful Lamingtons!

pound cake + dulce de leche + chocolate + toasted coconut = heaven on a plate

Now, that's math I understand!

Alfajore Lamingtons

Ingredients:

• 2 loaves of pound cake (Below is a great recipe, but store bought works well, too.)
• Dulce de leche
• Chocolate glaze
• Toasted shredded coconut

Cut pound cake into cubes approximately 1 to 2-in. in size.  This works best if cake is frozen. Cut each cube in half. Spread a layer of dulce de leche on one half and top with remaining half. Be careful not to squeeze cake halves together too hard so that it leaks out the sides. Place cubes in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Using a fork, dip cubes into chocolate glaze. I like to use a spoon to help cover them completely. Sprinkle on toasted coconut. This part can be pretty messy, and I haven't quite figured out a way to add the coconut without it getting chocolate and coconut all over me. However, the end result is so worth the effort. Place on parchment or wax paper until chocolate hardens.

Pound Cake (Courtesy of Alton Brown)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened, plus 1 tablespoon
  
• 16 ounces cake flour, plus 2 tablespoons
  
• 16 ounces sugar
  
• 9 large eggs, room temperature
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°.

Coat 2 (9 by 5-inch) loaf pans with 1 tablespoon of butter and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour.

Cream together the remaining 16 ounces of butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes on medium speed, using the paddle attachment. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. With the mixer running at the lowest speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Again, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. This will take approximately 3 minutes and the mixture may look curdled. Add the vanilla and salt and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour in 3 installments, making sure each portion is fully incorporated before adding the next. After the final addition, scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat for 30 seconds on medium speed until almost smooth.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan(s), dividing evenly if using 2 pans. Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 210 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. The crust will be golden brown and will spring back when pressed, but the crack around the center will appear moist.

Remove the cake from the oven to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan(s) and cool on the rack. Store the cake on the rack covered with a tea towel for up to 3 days.


Dulce de Leche

Ingredients:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  

Place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a large pan and cover with water. Boil for 3-4 hours making sure that can stays covered with water. Cool.


Chocolate Glaze

• 2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 4 Tbsps. Shortening
  

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Melt and stir until smooth.


Toasted Coconut

Spread a layer of shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes turning often until golden brown.