Lamingtons & Lemon Tart

Lamingtons & Lemon Tart: Best-Ever Cakes, Desserts and Treats from a Modern Sweets Maestro by Darren Purchese delivers dessert classics only recasted with the author’s trademark flair. These recipes are for the home cook who might be ambitious, but also wants to feel that the recipes are within their grasp.

Alongside this line-up of classics, the author and pastry chef includes a selection of his favorite modern creations, from caramelized white chocolate mousse to explosive raspberry wagon wheels; lemon meringue pie éclair; canneles; passionfruit clouds; and his big-selling popcorn and honeycomb rubble.

Lamingtons & Lemon Tarts
 is a gorgeous pastry class between two covers. The photographs are stunning and if this book doesn’t bring out your inner pastry chef – nothing will. I have made only a few recipes from this title but I want to make them all – the Honey Madeleines are perfect, the Chocolate and Banana Toasties with Peanut Butter Caramel I made one weekend and they were decadent and to die for and Darren’s Dark Chocolate and Nut Brownies so good. These recipes aren’t quick but they are totally approachable.  

I fell for this book so hard I had to purchase his Sweet Studio title because I do not wish to miss anything this pastry guru does.  Darren is coming to the states to promote the US release of this book (which was originally released last October in Australia) – check out our calendar for more information. 

The author has another title coming out in Australia in July – Chefs Eat Toasties Too: A Pro’s Guide for Reinventing Your Sandwich Game and I want it! Darren and his publisher are sharing his recipe for Glamingtons (why have a lamington when you can have a glamington!) with us today. Also be sure to check out a demonstration of this recipe on YouTube. After you are finished here, head to our contest page to enter our giveaway for this must-have pastry cookbook. 

GLAMINGTONS

Whaaaaat? Just when you thought a lamington couldn’t get any more fabulous… These glamour cakes are the best dressed at any VIP event. The gold adds a luxurious touch and the Malibu syrup takes it to the next level. Roll out the red carpet – head back and smile for the camera.

Makes 9

COMPONENTS

Raspberry sorbet
Malibu syrup
White chocolate lamington sponge
Dark chocolate covering

RASPBERRY SORBET

65 g (2 1/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
250 ml (8 1/2 fl oz/1 cup) raspberry purée
1 teaspoon liquid glucose
squeeze of lemon juice

Place 40 ml (1 1/4 fl oz) water and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar then remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients and leave to cool in the refrigerator. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions then store in the freezer until required. 

MALIBU SYRUP

90 g (3 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
200 ml (7 fl oz) Malibu

Place 200 ml (7 fl oz) water and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Malibu. Set aside. 

WHITE CHOCOLATE LAMINGTON SPONGE

6 egg whites
70 g (2 1/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
6 egg yolks
35 g (1 1/4 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
95 g (3 1/4 oz) butter, at room temperature
200 g (7 oz) white chocolate, melted
200 g (7 oz/1 1/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
70 g (2 1/2 oz) desiccated coconut

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease a 20 x 20 x 6 cm (8 x 8 x 2 1/2 in) square non-stick cake tin. Line the base and sides with baking paper cut to size.

Whisk the egg whites in a freestanding electric mixer on medium-high speed and gradually add the caster sugar to form a glossy meringue. Transfer the meringue to a larger bowl.

Wash the bowl and use the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the egg yolks, icing sugar and vanilla seeds on medium-high speed for 10 minutes. The mixture will become pale and frothy. At this point, with the mixer running, add the butter and mix in well before adding the melted white chocolate. 

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in half the meringue mixture. Then gently fold in the sifted flour, salt and coconut.

Transfer the mixture to the larger bowl with the remaining egg white and fold it in gently.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin until cool enough to turn out. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before trimming the top, bottom and sides of the sponge and cutting it into nine 5 cm (2 in) cubes.

Take an apple corer or melon baller and cut an incision into the side of each sponge halfway through. Fill the cavity with raspberry jam from a piping (icing) bag and plug the hole with the cored sponge. Fill all nine sponge cubes and then dab each side of the sponges with some of the Malibu syrup using a pastry brush.

Place the sponges, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour to harden slightly, before covering with chocolate.

DARK CHOCOLATE COVERING

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200 ml (7 fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream
200 ml (7 fl oz) full-cream (whole) milk

Melt the chocolate in the microwave.

Heat the cream and milk together in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to boil then pour it over the chocolate. Stir to emulsify until you have a smooth, shiny cream.

ASSEMBLY

edible gold lustre as needed

400 g (14 oz) shredded coconut
100 g (3 1/2 oz) white chocolate shavings brushed with edible gold lustre, if desired

Mix the gold lustre with the coconut and chocolate and pour this mixture into a shallow tray.

Remove the sponges from the refrigerator and use two forks or skewers to dip the lamington sponges in the chocolate covering. Gently shake off any excess chocolate and place the dipped sponge in the tray of gold and coconut.

Roll the lamingtons entirely in the coconut and place them on a wire rack (over a tray) to set for 20 minutes before transferring them to a plate and serving with the raspberry sorbet.

Recipes excerpted with permission from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese, published by Hardie Grant Books May 2017

Add these recipes to your Bookshelf (click the blue +Bookshelf button) – Raspberry sorbet, Malibu syrupWhite chocolate Lamington sponge, and Dark chocolate covering.

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35 Comments

  • lebarron2001  on  June 2, 2017

    My favorite pastry is a chocolate croissant

  • Mrskoz  on  June 2, 2017

    I just found out about lamingtons a few months back and now this!

  • heyjude  on  June 2, 2017

    I'd eat Boccone Dolce every day.

  • rchesser  on  June 2, 2017

    I have so many favorites, I can't pick just one but if I must choose one it would be chocolate mousse cake.

  • jr0717  on  June 2, 2017

    I've always been awed by the beauty of entremets, and thoroughly enjoy them. I'd love to see what this book could teach on building beautiful pastries, entremets included!

  • Nancith  on  June 3, 2017

    I don't make many pastries at the moment, but usually go for the easier ones, like rustic pies or cobblers.

  • sgump  on  June 3, 2017

    Like lebarron2001, I love a chocolate croissant!

  • HomespunHouse  on  June 3, 2017

    Banana, chocolate and mango bread sounds wonderful!

  • lhudson  on  June 4, 2017

    Chocolate and whisky torte

  • nadiam1000  on  June 4, 2017

    Pretty much anything with lemon or caramel and butter

  • FireRunner2379  on  June 5, 2017

    My favorite pastry to make and eat are doughnuts. Although messy, they taste awesome when eaten warm out of the oil!

  • lgroom  on  June 5, 2017

    I adore long johns with maple frosting.

  • annmartina  on  June 5, 2017

    Caneles have been one of the most satisfying pastries I've ever made.

  • Siegal  on  June 6, 2017

    We love making cupcakes

  • echilt5  on  June 6, 2017

    Macarons!

  • FrenchCreekBaker  on  June 6, 2017

    My favorite pastry to make is strudel simply because it was a pastry that intimidated me for years. Now that I have strudel under my belt in more ways than one I would love to work my way through the two sections of this book.

    Great review! Now I too want all the books you mentioned.

  • kelliwinter  on  June 8, 2017

    PIE is all i ever make unless I'm making cookies

  • JenJoLa  on  June 8, 2017

    Any cobbler made with good, fresh berries makes me so happy.

  • mph993  on  June 8, 2017

    Mint shaved ice

  • kitchenclimbers  on  June 8, 2017

    I love cheese croissants

  • amandacooks  on  June 9, 2017

    I enjoy baking homey, satisfying pastries, such as loaf cakes, fruit crisps and cookies. When I'm at a fancy bakery however, I almost always get a canele or almond croissant since I never make those at home.

  • t.t  on  June 10, 2017

    I love to eat good fruit tarts, but too often they're disappointing when store-bought.

  • dbielick  on  June 10, 2017

    I've been looking forward to this cookbook. The lemon meringue pie eclair sounds great.

  • HelenB  on  June 12, 2017

    As apricots are now in season, I would start with apricot and vanilla jam.

  • tarae1204  on  June 15, 2017

    I love pain aux raisins, have never made it.

  • orchidlady01  on  June 17, 2017

    My favorite pastry to eat is a chocolate eclair.

  • EmilyR  on  June 23, 2017

    I love macarons. They are beautiful, light, and delicious.

  • RSW  on  June 25, 2017

    Macarons or a tart

  • Uhmandanicole  on  June 27, 2017

    I love eating chocolate fondant cake, and I love making chocolate chip cookies

  • abihamm  on  June 27, 2017

    I love making and eating Kolachys!

  • Mrs.Soule  on  July 1, 2017

    I love baking cakes!

  • meggan  on  July 5, 2017

    I like to eat a good croissant. I have never tried to bake one though.

  • ltsuk  on  July 6, 2017

    Madeleines, although my current obsession to make are cardamom rolls

  • petbarladeanu  on  April 6, 2022

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  • petbarladeanu  on  April 6, 2022

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