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| Mr P's Beautiful Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Lamingtons |
Those of you who follow Mr. P's blog Delicious Delicious Delicious may be aware that he is hosting his second Re-Inventing the Lamington Contest and I am taking part as a member of the judges panel.
It was thanks to Mr. P's Lamington contest last year that I discovered the delicious Australian snack cake, the Lamington. I also discovered, that with all their dipping and coating, lamingtons are the kiss of death to any fresh cleaned kitchen. I love all the entries and have the utmost respect for all the effort--and cleaning--that all the bakers put forth for this contest.
So, I spent a good part of my weekend going over the Lamington ideas submitted to Mr. P and weighing the merits of each.
I also relied heavily on my ability to lick my laptop's computer screen and taste photos of food--one of my many very special super powers.
So, after wiping the drool off my Macbook's keyboard, I settled on three ideas that appealed to me the most.
I will note that it was really tough narrowing down the list. There were several ideas that were strong contenders in my mind. Some were just fantastically beautiful to look at too.
So in no particular order, here are my three personal favorites.
Astheroshe Accro's Rehrücken Lamingtons
Spikey spheres of chocolate/nut sponge, filled with jam and glazed with apricot and chocolate. This is a really ambitious lamington in terms of the form (I'm a huge fan of spherical cakes!). Love the choice of flavors, raspberry, hazelnut and chocolate. The use of nutella in the coating will boost the chocolatey nuttiness of the sponge. The apricot glaze might seem out of place, but I know what a versatile tool warm apricot glaze is in the bakers tool kit. It is one of those subtle flavors that will provide needed moisture to the sponge and give it a delicate fruity aroma.
I also love the spikes. They also look vicious in a food fight, bonus points for that.
Wannabe Culinarian's S'more Lamingtons
Love this very American take on the lamington. It is one of those ideas that you see and go 'Hey! Why didn't I come up with that?!'
Graham cracker pound cake! Such a clever way to incorporate the flavor to the cake, not to mention an excellent base for lamingtons. I know full well that sponge cake can be oh so pesky when glazing these little buggers.
Marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers in cake form. Simple. Clever. Delicious. I like this one.
Noobcake's The nOObington
Picking the last one was the hardest. You know that worn out shtick with the angel and devil on your shoulder arguing? Well I totally had that going on over this lamington. Only it wasn't angels or devils, it was a gamers vs bakers.
The lamington is a bit tongue in cheek and that is why I wrestled with it. Eventually I gave up and admitted my love. With its sugar loaded Mountain Dew frosting, it makes my recent cheesecake post look like health food. The cake is studded with M&Ms and topped off with the emperor of nerd foods, the Cheeto.
This thing is gamer food condensed into a small, even less healthy, bite sized package.
Pure fuel for those World of Warcraft raids that run to 2AM.
I would eat the n00bington. Oh yes I would… and then I would brush my teeth. Twice. Since I'm pretty sure the combo of powdered sugar and mountain dew is more corrosive than hydrochloric acid.
There you have it, P! Enjoy :)
none of them are lamingtons anymore, us aussies are very picky about our lammies, but if you called them something else, then thats ok! they do look delicious too!
ReplyDeletemy daughter just said theya re not lammmies they are just cakes!! See I told you!
ReplyDeleteThey are certainly sacrilegious, but the contest is about creativity. Everyone posting coconut coated sponge cake wouldn't be much fun would it?
ReplyDeleteLamingtons are lamingtons, we all know it. These are variations on a theme and fun ones at that. Admire their creativity and then go back to enjoying the classic snack cake. :)
yes, and i love the first one, will have to try this one at home! At least it resembles a lammie!
ReplyDeleteI have been following your blog on facebook and i am a fan!
ReplyDeleteI am soooo honored and (humbled) that you like my Lamington.
Thank-you Thank-you!:)
Actually, Ms. H, I was interviewed for local radio in Canberra about the re-invention, and the Canberra Show lamington judge cast her eyes on the lamingtons I have been posting. She said they weren't lamingtons. It was crushing.
ReplyDeleteI feel Australians need to be more adventurous. Look at the French macaron! Nobody is telling Pierre Hermé that his macarons aren't real.
HAHA! much love to the nerdcake.
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome! Love the s'mores one - and who cares if they aren't 'traditional' - I love thinking outside the box when it comes to jazzing up classic favorites!
ReplyDeleteThey're great, but I'll never forget last year's Lambingtons. Never.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nod. Your amazing Lamingtons from last year are what inspired me to enter this year. This contest was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd to Mr. P—Thanks for holding the contest. All the controversy is just going to make next year's competition bigger and better. You are going to do it, right? Please?
Wow, it means so much that my n00bington got a vote! And I am just as pleased that you understand the power-fuel of the nerd population, Ms. Humble...especially when it comes to late-night WoW raids. ^_^
ReplyDeleteThanks bunches! <3
I have hunted on the net for a recipe for how to make graham crackers...can't get them where I am, and I miss them for snacking and for cold pie crusts. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteGraham Crackers? I haven't made many, but I do like Smitten Kitchen's recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/05/graham-crackers/
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I remember very fondly the white chocolate & raspberry recipe from last year. It seems the same objections have been raised again this year by traditionalists not appreciating any variations. It is hard for people to let go traditions.
ReplyDeleteNot me! Not all Australians are clinging to outmoded traditional recipes. Embrace the future. Lamingtons covered in nuts! Yum!