Yin Yeung Lamingtons
I have a love-hate relationship with cupcakes. They’re conceptually great (how could you not like a tiny cake that’s 50% frosting?), but sadly, always a bit on the dry side because there’s never quite enough frosting for the sponge base. Enter lamingtons - which to me, are cupcakes, but just better. Inspired by Tokyo Lamington in Sydney, who do incredible things with humble cake squares, these lamingtons are yin yeung flavoured, and have zero coconut or chocolate in them (!!). Generously covered in a snowstorm of Milo powder, they’re a fusion of HK and Australia in a bite.
Ingredients:
For the coffee cake
170g butter
170g caster sugar
3 eggs
170g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon of instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water
For the milk tea filling
1-2 sachets of Lipton’s instant milk tea powder (other brands are ok too)
75g of softened, unsalted butter
Icing sugar to taste
For the coating
1 tablespoon of instant coffee, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water
200g white chocolate, melted
1/2 cup of Milo powder (use as needed)
First, prepare the cake. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, then gradually add in the eggs and flour until fully combined.
Gently fold in the coffee to the mixture, then bake in a lined loaf tin for 25-30 minutes at 180°C, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a rack or plate to cool completely.
In the meantime, prep the milk tea filling. Mix instant milk tea powder with butter vigorously with a spatula, until fully combined. Gradually add in icing sugar to taste, and set aside.
Once the cake has cooled, trim the sides and top of the cake to form a smooth rectangle, and slice the cake into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut each slice again in half to form squares.
To assemble, generously brush the coffee on one side of two cake squares. Top one of the cake squares with a teaspoon of milk tea filling, and sandwich this with the other cake square (coffee-side in). Smooth out any air bubbles and lumps with an offset spatula or butter knife, and set aside.
Dip the lamington into the white chocolate, ensuring that all sides are coated equally. Once the lamington is covered in chocolate, drop it into a bowl of Milo powder, and toss using two forks to cover the entire lamington with Milo powder. Set aside, and refrigerate to set (for at least 30 minutes).
Repeat steps 5 and 6 with all of the other cake squares. Once the lamingtons are set, serve after defrosting for a minute or two!