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My search for the perfect Lamington ended this morning. If you don’t know what a Lamington is, you’re not alone. Yes, even I hadn’t heard of one, until a posted a picture of the Chocolate-Coconut Marshmallows from The Sweet Life in Paris on my Flickr page and they were mistaken for Lamingtons.

So almost immediately upon landing in Australia I had it in my sights to find a good Lamington, explaining to a group I was with it appealed so much to be because it had my three favorite things stacked into one: chocolate, coconut, and marshmallows. There was only one problem – that’s not what a Lamington is. Was my face red as I sat amongst a group of food-savvy Australians, who quickly corrected me, and set me straight about me what a proper Lamington is.

(I didn’t feel so bad because I often have to set visitors to where I live straight about what a café au lait is, which is not something served in any café in France.)

coffee at single origin lamington 1

They started to tell me that it’s not really something that you buy, but more like something you might make at home. Or if you buy one, you get a pre-packaged supermarket version. (Which sounds like an Australian paradox, but is probably similar to what their counterparts said in the United States about cupcakes a decade or so ago.) So when they described a Lamington – spongecake layered with jam, sometimes, and chocolate icing, then topped with shredded coconut – it sounded like something that would be infinitely better than the packaged versions I subsequently saw in grocery stores. (I love going to grocery stores in foreign countries and always tried to hit at least one during any visit.) And yes, I discovered on the supermarket shelves that even Weight Watchers Australia has their own version, too.

single origin chef Matt single origin coffee in sydney

Matt Rothman is the cook at Single Origin Roasters and everyone in Sydney pointed me in his direction. And even though my sixth grade teacher told my parents in a pointed note that I was not good at taking direction, I proved her wrong and decided to head over to Surry Hills to check them out. (See? I just needed the right motivation.) So I made a date with Australian food writer Jill Dupleix for a Lamington liaison.

Except I cheated and went to Single Origin the day before and met Matt, and we had a nice chat and he explained all the fresh, vibrant food he was preparing for the modest café next to the coffee bar, or “Sideshow” as they call it. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking “Why doesn’t he come to Paris and do this there?” since I don’t know of any coffee shop (or even a café) that’s making things like savory zucchini blossom and duck egg muffins, a warm croque monsieur proudly stuffed with free range local ham, and pork hock sandwiches served on house-made pretzel rolls – all prepared by his truly, in a kitchen only un peu larger than my puny kitchen in Paris.

zucchini flower and duck egg muffins

So once I get a view of the Seine, he said he’s up for an apartment swap. In the meantime, Sydney is lucky to have him here, and depending on who you talk to, Paris is luc …um—well, let’s just say I’m tolerated.

adding coffee to siphon coffeesiphon coffee at single origin
making siphon coffeesiphon coffee at single origin in Sydney
siphon coffeepouring siphon coffee

We tried every kind of coffee they make, from cold-brewed coffee, to splitting a small pot of siphon coffee, made tableside. I can’t say I’m wild about siphon coffee in general – it always reminds me of a coffee version of tea – but the espresso marked with a touch of steamed milk that I enjoyed went nicely with Matt’s Lamington.

jill dupleix Lamington

Which brings me to the Lamington. I’d bought one a few days before at another café, before I knew I was coming here, and it was just okay. But when I took my first forkful of the Lamington at Single Origin, my quest ended right there, on a Sydney sidewalk. His special touch was mixing homemade jam with chocolate for the filling, which continued the chocolate theme from the glazed exterior right to the center of the matter. A few dried raspberry bits added a colorful touch to the outside, and it was hard not to eat both of the rectangles of cake that he prepared for us. They were great.

I’m not sure what days – or how often – the Lamingtons are available, but if you’re looking for a good one, you can’t do any better than here. And am not sure that if we swapped places and Matt came to Paris, they’d enjoy the success there that macarons seem to be having here in Sydney. But I think if folks in Paris had a choice, his Lamingtons would give a few bakeries a run for their money. So if you ever see Lamingtons in Paris, you’ll have me to thank. And of course, Matt as well.

Single Origin Roasters
60-64 Reservoir Street
Surry Hills (Sydney), Australia
Tel: 02 9211 0665


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82 comments

    • Jacki

    I’m enjoying your Blogs on Sydney great to see a Visitors view on Australian Food and that zucchini blossom and duck egg muffin looks absolutely Yummy. Enjoy the rest of your Trip to our lovely Country :)

    • Karen Brown

    So glad that you tracked down a truly great lamington. There’s another version of lamington, not as common as chocolate, which is the raspberry kind. The cheapest ones are just dipped in red jelly, then rolled in coconut, but occasionally you can find ones that are dipped in syrupy raspberry juice, and they are divine.When I make them at home, I use the juice that’s dripped out of a pack of frozen berries (’cause I hate to waste anything in the kitchen) and add a little softened gelatin.
    So glad that you are enjoying Sydney. It always strikes me when I’m there how much great food there is, but also how attractive the people are. Maybe they just swim and surf off all those trips to the Bourke St. Bakery!
    Sad that you’re not making the puddle-jump to New Zealand. We have the best dairy products in the world (or at least to rival Ireland’s).
    Cheers from NZ, Karen

    • Kate

    Love the story, but I have to say, I have NEVER in my entire life in Australia seen a lamington for sale in a cafe! OK, maybe some old fashioned country cafes of the Ye Olde Shoppe variety, but never in Sydney and I haven’t had one for years! Incredibly nostalgic for them just looking at your photos though, so I’m going to barrel over to Single Origin and investigate.

    • Jess

    You are definitely not the first to be confused about a Lamington. Those, Anzac biscuits and pavlovas seem to be things that don’t make it out of Australia. I’ve been really enjoying reading your view of Sydney’s food scene. Living here you sometimes forget how good we have it. Hope your experiences of Sydney continue to be as positive as they have been.

    • Holiday Baker Man

    I love lammies! Nice bong…er coffeepot!

    • betty

    It looks absolutely great! I hope you enjoyed it and let me say that the small spongecake looks devine!

    • Hayley

    @Jess – I ate pavlova at a restaurant in Brussels! It was so bizarre visiting another country that had it.

    • Jennie B.

    That “lamington” reminds me a lot of some sort of Hostess product from my youth. Drool…

    • Tracy

    I was judging at our Royal Show last week and there were some gorgeous looking homemade lamingtons there. I didn’t get to taste them as I was judging jams and chutneys, but homemade or from the CWA (Country Womens Association) tea tent at a country show are really then only places to get great lamingtons as a rule. Yay that someone is finally doing a great one in a cafe. Someone in Perth, please listen!!

    • Anne

    Yum! One bakery here makes really fluffy lamingtons with real cream in the middle. :-)

    • Notyet100

    Ummm this looks so delicious,.can imagine the Taste

    • Gareth

    If you get a chance, there are a few spots in Melbourne that make a lamington macaron

    • Angela

    Im dying with all your recipes!!! Im doing ALL of them, begining NOW!!! Love ittttt….

    • Natashia@foodonpaper

    Oh my… you’ve hit a spot here! I am a big lover of the lamington. Massive! They remind me of after school when my mum would buy some from the local bakery. It’s been really nice to hear about Australian restaurants, foods and experiences from you :)

    • Mel

    Mmmmm! I discovered lamingtons just last year, after seven whole years in New Zealand – my colleague mentioned them, got shocked that I didn’t know what they were, and shot out of the office to get me one from a bakery round the corner.

    The lamingtons you write of in this post sound gorgeous though!

    And won’t you consider coming down to NZ after Australia? Contrary to popular belief, we are not the same country…! And we’d love to have you visit.

    • Emily

    Like all the other Aussies I’m enjoying hearing about our fair land from your perspective.

    Lamingtons are a unique treat and I think loved by everyone. My brother is working in Sweden at the moment and baked (well, assembled) a whole lot of lamingtons for his colleagues… the Swedes loved them!

    • Shandel

    Ha, you really do need to do Melbourne next time you come ‘down under’ Pim had an absolute blast when she was in Melbourne. We don’t have the harbour, but we sure have the food and coffee, and the laming tons!

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    jess: I had an ANZAC biscuit and the woman at the cafe called them “Anzac cookies” – and I didn’t get the sense she was doing it because I was an American. I didn’t correct her ; )

    Shandel: It was very kind of the Crave Sydney Food Festival to be a guest chef at their conference. I had a wonderful time here and ate well. If there is one in Melbourne that invited me, I’d be happy to go.

    • pickyin @ LifeIsGreat

    The lamington is one of those classic cakes that appear in our mothers’ tattered recipe books but is not famously sold at bakeries in South East Asia.

    I only revisited it when I was in Melbourne/Sydney last year. The ones from Queen Victoria Market’s deli section are quite good, though this one with chocolate in between and those dried bits of raspberries makes me want to bake some right away.

    • Troy O.

    I really give time reading and knowing your lamington. inspiring one, I want to taste this monster. :) LAMINGTON is in the house. I think I saw this thing at one of the restaurants in Perth. Not sure of it. :) LOLS

    • Peta

    David,
    I am so happy you enjoyed Sydney. However for a truly superb lamington and some amazing wine you really need to come to South Australia. We have ‘Cocolat The Bakery’ . Their lamington is layers of perfect sponge sandwiching gorgeous smooth white chocolate champagne mousse. Then dipped in chocolate ganache with flakes of toasted coconut on the outside.

    http://www.cocolat.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=38

    Sorry but until I compare it with the Sydney one I have to give the local one first prize, not that the Sydney one doesn’t sound amazing.
    Peta

    • Claire

    Up til now I was feeling really proud of living in Sydney, but alas the lamington is our point of disagreement. (I have textural issues with desiccated coconut.) Hope that Sydney continues to impress despite the rain. And if you have time to check out the falafel at Jasmin’s in Lakemba then go nuts! We always take people to eat the toum there the night before an international flight..

    • Sue A

    Hi David,

    Forget restaurant Lamingtons – the best are made by mums and grannies across our fair land. Yum. ( mostly from the CWA cookbook recipe)

    Karen (NZ) – red ones are ‘Jelly Cakes’ not Lamingtons, these are usually made in patty pan tins, (not cut from a sheet cake), and are usually filled with whipped cream, after being dipped in jelly (mostly raspberry, but sometimes passionfruit or mango) and rolled in desiccated coconut.

    (I think Gordon Ramsay had a deconstructed Lamington on his menu when his Melbourne restaurant opened.)

    • Veronique

    I have been following your Aussie sojourn courtesy of my friend Michelle. I am so pleased you found lamingtons. I am going to have to make some a la Matt since I am so far away from home.

    I hope you also took in Auburn and Cabramatta as I did last month when in Sydney. Such a treat. Then there’s the Flemington Markets – what a wow after the dearth of proper markets here in Scotland.

    Nice to comment on your blog:-)

    • Hannah

    David, thank you. I’ve never been one for unthinking-and-in-your-face patriotism (and I’m still not!) but your posts are making me so happy and proud of Australia. Thank you for liking us so much. We truly love you too.

    • Mardi@eatlivetravelwrite

    It doesn’t get much better than the lamington, my friend. So glad you discovered.

    • Siobhan C

    Lammos – yum.

    We used to call the ones with jam and mock cream in the middle ‘lamington sandwich’.

    • rakster

    mmmmmm. lamingtons.

    I made my last big batch on the day my husband got his Australian citizenship… good with dark chocolate ..

    along with pavlova and blueberry coolie, anzac biccies…and some savoury goodness.

    might add it to the recipe to-do-list.

    • Thanh @ eat little bird

    I was recently asked what my favourite cake was – a very difficult question to answer! But it didn’t take me long to reply that it was the lamington. I have fond childhood memories of eating these little cakes and I now regularly make them for my husband and whenever his family from France come to visit. They love it so much that they will have a slice at breakfast, lunch and dinner!

    Have you also been introduced to the Cream Buns, Neenish Tarts and Finger Buns?? I think someone will have to take you to a good old-fashioned bakery for these treats :-)

    • Louise

    Ah lamingtons! Possibly my favourite Aussie bakery treat. I think the world is divided not just into cat and dog people but those who like their lamington plain (clearly the best) or filled (clearly not the best). How fabulous to share lamingtons (much like an Aussie breaking of the bread) with Jill Dupleix! I did a brief post about the origins of the lamington a couple of years ago:
    http://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot.com/2009/06/humble-lamington.html

    When I was a child (a very long time ago in the 70s) lamingtons were usually bought from what was called “lamington drives”. Organisations like scout groups would spend a day making cake, and then rolling it chocolate and coconut. It would be a fundraiser for them. They were fantastic! They were sold by the dozen. Thankfully I live in a country town where the local scout troupe still does an annual lamington drive. They are the best lamingtons of the year! I buy a few dozen and if the family leaves any I stick them in the freezer.

    • diana ruby

    What stunning photography! You make food look exactly as it should…simple, beautiful and clean.I would love to try Lamington in my home.

    • mehrunnisa

    hi david, your dedication to track down a proper lamington is to be applauded. i am kind of sad that i did not manage to get my hands on a real one. i must confess that i did try the supermarket kind as my friend insisted that i could not leave australian soil without trying a lamington once. suffice to say it was not the experience i was after all. was it woolie’s supermarket that you went to? i thought i was the only one who had a penchant for checking out supermarkets in different countries but glad to know that i am not alone.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Jill actually brought along a supermarket Lamington, so I’d have something to compare it to. I could see the ‘nostalgic appeal’ of them, but they didn’t compare at all to the real deal. The only problem is – now I’m hooked!

    • Dror

    God, this looks good…I am seriously thinking about taking the next plane to Sydney.

    • kelsey

    mmm I love lamingtons, i’ve only made them myself a couple of times though. i first heard of them from my grade 12 travel and tourism teacher who happened to be australian, so she brought them in as a treat for us one day!

    but check this out dave, it’s a bit closer to my roots! it’s the croation version of a lamington!

    http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/croatianserbiandesserts/r/cupavci-lamingtons.htm

    hope you like it!

    • Cheryl

    That actually sounds like a good lamington. Cafes all over Melbourne have them, but any that I tried never seemed worthwhile when compared to the florentines right next to them.

    • Rachel Willen

    That looks like it was made just for me! My three favorite flavors in the world…chocolate, coconut, and fruit jam. You’ve set me now on a quest to either make one of find one. How about a recipe David? Or a place in NYC that might make these?

    • Jill @ MadAboutMacarons

    So THAT’s what a real Lamington is? Looks wonderful. Love the dried raspberries sprinkled on top. Why don’t you compromise and make your chocolate macarons into lamington macarons, David? Sounds fun. Adore the design on these coffees.

    • Kristin

    The lamington looks tasty, but it’s the coffee that’s making me want to hop right back into my car & head out for a latte. Your AU posts are making miss even more my friend who moved back to Melbourne from the US 10 years ago.

    • Paolita@BerryHaute

    Lamingtons uh….. don’t have a trip planned to Australia any time soon, but doesn’t seem like it would be too hard to build one. Have to give that a try ;)

    • Georgia

    David, can you post the recipe for Lamingtons? Please???? They look gorgeous!

    • Heni

    Sure hop you had an Australian “FLAT WHITE” with your Lamington: blows a traditional latte out of the water……

    • Julia

    One more tip for you! Don’t miss the affogato at Campos Coffee in Newtown. I dream about that affogato. Seriously.

    • Kiki

    I’m not one for cakes so my main attraction to read this post are the stunning photos of COFFEE…. in all forms and sizes – love, love, love the mini cappu and the coffee in the glass… AND the zucchini flowers… I discovered them in Italy when I took an intensive course of Italian – I even planted them in my mini garden just for the flowers – such a delicate and ephemeral delight!

    • Sue

    David, your blog just stuns me every time. You are a joy.
    thank you and please don’t stop.
    PS: I have missed you twice in San Antonio,Texas because I was out of town.
    Please come back!

    • malika

    Would love to know more about the zucchini blossom/duck egg muffins. Fill cupcake pans halfway with muffin batter, make a little well in the top, crack in an egg, top with cheese & blossom, bake? That’s my guess from picture – do you know?

    If you have nieces or nephews, or if you yourself ever read kids’ books, Opossom Magic by Mem Fox is a great book to commemorate your Australian trip. The book mentions lots of Australian foods (lamingtons, pavlova, minties) and cities/towns.

    • michael bosley

    I remember watching a cooking show 30yrs. ago where Helen Reddy,the singer who is from Australia,made Lamingtons. I tried them because they had all the ingredients I love:coconut,chocolate and cake. I don’t remember the marshmallow though. I’m going to make them again!

    • Jinjer

    I just did a little research and it seems that in the USA they’re called Clevelanders or just plain ol’ Coconut Bars and there’s a bakery in Tarzana, CA called Bea’s Bakery that makes Coconut Bars. I will have to go there and try one!

    • Catherine

    I have tried a few Lamingtons here in London, and wasn’t overly thrilled. Perhaps they just weren’t the right ones. However I do really like the Anzac biscuits and the friands I have tried. Friands only seem to be available at the Antipodean cafes I have been to. Have you come across any of those David? Lime and blueberry are my favourite so far.

    For anyone who likes coconut then try seeking out the ‘cheesecakes’ available at some bakeries in London. They are an old style pastry, made with flaky pastry and filled with some kind of squidgy creamy filling, probably meant to symbolize cheese, and coated with long curls of coconut. There is a bakery very near me who makes superb ones. It is hard to find them though.

    • Rebecca

    Ooo careful, lamingtons from Australia? There’s hot debate here ‘downunder’ about whether both lamingtons and pavlova originate from New Zealand or Australia – each country claims them as their own!! I LOVE lamingtons and have fond memories of making them with my dad. My brother and I as kids used to have competitions to see who could ‘peel’ their lamington the best. We’d carefully peel back the chocolate and coconut from the sponge so that it remained intact, devouring the sponge and saving the outside for last :-)

    • Lemon

    I remember, when living in Paris I had an Australian friend who once made lamingtons every one loved. Just know, after having read your article I realized that during my travel in Australia I did not see a single ones, well you have given the explanation in your post. And even better, the place where to get some, next time.

    • The Starving Student

    Those muffins with zucchini blossoms and duck eggs look gorgeous. That is such an original idea! Never heard of lamingtons before but how can you go wrong with cake, chocolate, coconut and jam?

    • Patti

    David you probably don’t realise it but you have opened ‘a can of worms’ so to speak. As a New Zealander I have to say that the Australians have a penchant for ‘stealing’ our best bits! I refer of course to pavlova, flat whites, and most probably lamingtons. I won’t mention the film star, the rock star, the racehorse etc etc :)
    I will duck for cover now but just a reminder to you – please visit New Zealand for the ‘real deal’!

    • Jackie

    Seeing that Lamington brought back a wonderful sweet memory from my childhood of coconut bars that I ate as a child as a special treat- white cake rectangles with chocolate and coconut flakes, just as in your photo. What a quick trip back 60 years. Thank you!

    • Amanda

    Seems to me you’re having a pretty fine time here in Oz, David, and I’m glad you managed to track down a decent lamington. The prepackaged variety available in supermarkets are not really indicative of the genre and the very best are home-made. I haven’t made them for years, though, as it is a pretty messy business. Maybe your minders should find a CWA (Country Womens Association) lady for you to meet – they are stunning bakers and cooks whose skills with lamingtons, cream puffs and scones can’t be beaten.

    • BobY

    I’m so glad you’re in Australia. I’ll be there in Jan and I hope we have many dispatches from down under.

    • Doukissa

    Oooohhhh, Sydney’s Lamingtons look almost like America’s raspberry Zingers, except w/o the chocolate. I’ll be there better, though, but in a pinch . . .

    • Rhubarb and Venison

    Wait, hold up. THEY DON’T SERVE CAFE AU LAITS IN FRANCE?? Are you kidding? So all these years ordering my fav drink, refusing to call it a damn “misto” a la Starbucks, imagining all those tres elegant French folks sipping on the same coffee with milk that I prefer…they don’t do that in Pah-ree? My world view has shifted.

    • The Good Soup

    We made lamingtons at the Rose Bakery (in Paris), once. But Rose used chocolate cake instead of vanilla and that just made this particular Australian homesick.

    • Margie

    Lamingtons….now the quest begins.

    These sound so yummy. Perhaps you’ll score us a recipe?

    • Francesca

    Hi David,
    Glad to see you’ve discovered lamingtons. As a couple of people have said – the best lamingtons are those made by the CWA. The CWA is an old stalwart of many country towns and while they do many things other than baking, such as fundraising for health services and being quite a powerful advocate for the country, they are most famous for their scones, sponges and jams. My Mum grew up on a farm a fair way out of town and her mother was definitely a CWA women – Mum once commented that store-bought ice-cream was a treat, because they always made it at home! I looked up the recipe a few weeks ago for a house lamington bake-off and this recipe from SBS was the best: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/367/Lamingtons. It’s a bit of an odd sponge recipe, but feels like it melts into this air the moment you bite into it.

    In my search, I also came across the judging standards for CWA baking competitions (http://www.cwaofnsw.org.au/committees/theLandCookery.do) – you can tell these ladies are serious when the rules state that no rack marks or ring tins are allowed!

    I’m loving reading about your adventures and I hope you enjoy the lovely sunny weather today.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Hi Francesca: Thanks for that information and link to the recipe. When reading it, several readers noted there were issues (perhaps typos?) with it. The main one being that folks thought it was supposed to have flour in it, perhaps self-raising flour, instead of the cornflour (corn starch). Did you make it with cornflour or self-raising, or regular flour?

    • Ann

    It sounds like you’re having a delicious time….and now I’m craving a latte!

    • Catherine

    Oh strewth I thought I was immune to homesickness. Not so much the lamington drives which I remember with much neighbourly fondness, but the Sydney cafe scene – unbeatable!!

    • Uma

    It’s funny how food travels. Lamingtons were a favourite in my family growing up in India. We bought them from a local bakery that was run by seventh day adventists who in hind sight seemed to be using a colonial cookbook because the other family favourites were sponge cakes and matrimonial cakes (a type of date bar) which I later discovered is Canadian in origin :)
    I prefer the plain Lamingtons with tea.

    • Jackie

    Thanks for the reference to “Clevelanders”. I hadn’t read your entry, Jinjer. I grew up in a Cleveland suburb, where I had the pleasure of these coconut bars!

    • Nita

    I have a weakness for laming tons & even serve them as dessert on family Friday nights. For me, the best, hands down are from Yael’s Cakes & available at Thomas Dux in Paddington. She uses Belgian chocolate & beautiful coconut… Every element ticks all the boxes

    • Frances

    I get my mum to post me Anzac biscuits to Paris every January. Want to go halves? And lamingtons… long lost memory.

    Please try to find one of the Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks – preferably from the 70s – with all the classic Aussie biscuits in a beautifully kitsch manner!

    • Christina @ The Hungry Australian

    Glad you enjoyed them, David.
    I have such great childhood memories of my mum making trays of lamingtons for us to sell to raise funds for my primary school – a lamington drive as mentioned above. We’d offer them to all our friends, and walk up and down our street asking our neighbours to buy them. People always bought at least one tray because it is very hard to resist freshly baked lamingtons.
    Now that my eldest daughter starts school in a week’s time, I imagine it’ll be me who breaks out the baking trays for the next lamington drive :)

    • Claire

    David, thank you so much for this post. I spent a whole year in Sydney back in my twenties, loved every minute of my time there. Seeing these lamingtons just takes me right back to those warm, easy breezy auzzie days. It’s funny how, like music, food always reminds us of our special memories. Thanks mate!

    • ButterandLard

    Yummy! I’ve never heard of a lamington, but they do look delicious! I do wish these delicious looking desserts were available in Canada! You need to get the recipe so we can all start making them :)

    • Graham Heaven ( Heavens Bakery Napier NZ

    Now a real Lamington = is a square cut piece of firm sponge cake dipped in a chocolate sauce ( made from Icing sugar,Gelatine ,Cocoa powder and boiling water ( made the day before needed ( The sponge cake is half frozen then dipped into the chocolate sauce the rolled in fine coconut ( now don’t tell them Ausies about this ( now some times we split them down the middle and fill them fresh cream ( history has it the Lamington was invented by Lord Lamington in Englang ( then he gave the recipe to a New Zealander ( now them dam Ausies thin it’s there’s ( well we know it’s not Cheers GH

    • kathleen

    Oh Lamingtons! In the early 80’s, my high school field hockey team from upstate NY went to Oz for a few weeks of playing games and traveling around Sydney, NSW and Perth. After every match, the hockey club parents would pull out the tables, load them with food and fill the barbie with sausages. Lamingtons appeared at every match and I became a full fledged Lamington taster in a short amount of time. I tried them all and have continued searching in further AU and NZ journeys over the years. So happy you’ve had a taste!

    • flip

    Ah, the lamington *sigh*…

    Lucky you, so glad you are trying such fab places. Another superior version can be found at the Book Kitchen (opp Bourke St Bakery in Surry Hills) and Bronte Bakery, a retro Aussie cake shop. While you’re in Bronte you could try Iggy’s bread. Hope you have time to make it further afield, Vietnamese in Cabramatta (Marrickville if you can’t make the trek). And if anyone takes you to the Blue Mountains check out the Common Ground cafe and bakery, it’s run by some devout religious people but there Barra burgers are the benchmark by which all others are judged (and fall well short).

    Loving your Sydney posts – didn’t realise I was such a Sydney-centric but it’s so nice that you’re here!

    • Zoe

    If you’re still in Sydney you MUST go to Yellow Bistro in Potts Point. Lorraine Godsmark is simply the best pastry chef in Australia. I have never tasted cheesecake like hers, not to mention her amazing chocolate cake (it took her years to develop the recipe – I took her class) and her famous date tart.

    • TN

    Those coffees are a piece of artwork in themselves…everything is so yummy looking!

    TN

    • Vidya

    Just a historical clarification, it’s well documented that lamingtons were invented in Queensland by the chef of Lord Lamington, governor of Queensland. The recipe crossed to New Zealand at some point. Does it really matter anyway? Most lamingtons sold in bakeries are too large, dry and flat tasting. I have heard many say that these ones are amazing though, and Manna from Heaven’s version is supposed to be quite good as well.

    • Sweet Freak

    Okay, I’m thoroughly starving here. The lamingtons sounds lovely and amazing, but can we talk about the zucchini blossom – duck egg muffins and sandwiches served on house-made pretzel rolls?? I don’t even eat red meat, and those ham-y delights sounds irresistible!

    • Jen-

    Shame on your sixth-grade teacher for the trauma she caused you! But thank you so very much for the trip to Sydney. I’ve always wanted to go.

    • vicki

    Wonderful to read of your time in Sydney and to see that you are being directed to some great places. The ‘Lamo’ – as you will have perceived from so many responses to your story, this little cake touches straight through to the heart and memory of childhood for many Australians, much like Proust’s madelaine dipped in tilleul tisane. The equivalent here would be a glass of cold ‘Milo’….
    Two lamo stories – I consider myself so luck to have as a memento of my beloved Grandma her little green bowl we used to make the chocolate icing for lamingtons in together. Worth nothing but worth the world.
    And, we lived in country France for several years where the locals were quite reserved/suspicious/shy of us foreigners. We cracked this when we made a big batch of lamingtons for an event at our son’s ecole primaire. Such a success in a land of fabulous cakes! I had to translate the recipe and hand them out…..

    • Jim

    Lamington looked ok…but I am more interested in the coffee..it looks like an interesting process, after all I am from Washington state.

    • Asher

    As a New Zealander, I grew up on lamingtons …

    The best ones I’ve ever had are made at Floriditas in Wellington – rather than the traditional chocolate or strawberry ones, they’re iced with lemon icing.

    The lemon glaze dribbles into the sponge a little before it sets, so as you eat the lamington you get little sparkles of lemony sweetness – heaven!

    Needless to say, some clotted cream on the side is a must.

A

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