Pig Out Friday ~ Lamingtons

Lamingtons

Thursday was Australia Day and while I don't live close enough to attend any official celebrations here in Japan I try to do something with my kids to mark the day.

There is so much I want to share with them, Australia is such a wonderful country but they are still so young that they couldn't comprehend it all.

Freedom of expression, religion, political opinion, movement, 

also great education, civil rights and a beautiful landscape.

It really is the lucky country 

So I am starting small remembering what they've seen and experienced while they were there and building on that.

So after school we made lamingtons,

an old and very famous cake.

If you have never tried one you should!!

Soft fluffy sponge cake covered in chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut!!

I made the cake in the morning and the kids dipped and rolled later on.

I used this recipe from the Australian Women's Weekly.

I cut the cake smaller into 24 pieces thinking that was better for small hands!!

In hindsight I don't recommend this as the chocolate sauce soaks into the cake too much and becomes soggy.

Be sure to keep the chocolate sauce thin (by keeping it warm) and drain as much of it off as you can before rolling it in the coconut.

I also made the famous Aussie dessert, Pavlova

for the first time.

It is a big meringue, soft and fluffy inside topped with cream and fresh fruit, usually something tart. It usually has passionfruit on top but I didn't want to waste use my passionfruit!

Australians and New Zealanders both claim the rights to this dessert always one arguing that they made it first. Well as far as I am concerned the New Zealanders can have it because I don't like it, actually I've never liked it!!

...and I found out that my kids and hubby don't either!!!

If you are wondering why I made it at all it is because my aunt sent me an instant packet mix at Christmas...no better day than to make it than Australia day!!

Happy Australia Day!!!