Celebrations for Queensland icon
Break out the sponge cake, chocolate icing and coconut tonight – it’s National Lamington Day!
Australia celebrates its fifth National Lamington Day on 21st July, after the first day to honour the dessert was named in 2006.
The lamington has had a rich and contentious history, New Zealand and Australia still arguing over who first invented the spongey dessert.
But the controverial crumbs will be swept under the rug today as Australia celebrates the lamington, which earned its place with the Big Pineapple and the colour maroon as a Queensland icon in 2006.
Jeff Crawlford, a chef at Brisbane’s “The Boo” restuarant, said the trick to a perfect lamington was having the right ingredients.
“You need a really light sponge and good quality coconut,” he said.
Crawlford said he was a fan of the plain lamington but added it was just as important to have a good drink to go with the dessert.
“A really nice cup of tea – English or Irish Breakfast – or an ice cold glass of milk would be best,” he said.
Although Crawlford admitted he did not have a personal lamington recipe, he said he may have a go at reinventing the classic to honour the National Day.
Queensland’s Old Government House also joined the celebrations, with more than 250 people passing through the House on a lamington-themed tour. The first lamington was said to have been made at the George Street site in 1901 when a maid accidentally dropped the governor’s sponge cake into melted chocolate. The governor’s name? Lord Lamington.
Each of this year’s nine tours ended with a lamington treat for the guests, 520 lamingtons made for the occasion.
But these lamingtons were a little smaller than the one found in Toowoomba last month, the country town recently breaking the record for the World’s Biggest Lamington.
The lamington weighed 2361kgs and easily broke Ipswich’s 2009 record of 1320kg.
And while not everyone needs to make such a big lamington to celebrate the National Day, it is certain lamingtons will be the dessert of choice for many families tonight!