Kokosanki (coconut cakes), officially known as Lamingtons

“Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen — a happily-ever-after to supper”

Terri Guillemets

A traditional Australian treat, lamingtons are made from squares of sponge cake coated in an outer layer of chocolate sauce and rolled in desiccated coconut. These cakes have always been called kokosanki among my family and are always in my mind when I hear the word. They are easy to prepare and really make you want to eat more. They will please the taste of many, not only fans of coconut. I found the recipe for cocoa icing among some old culinary jottings and recipes in my house. It gives smooth coating to the cakes, creating a cocoa-sugar surface. What you have to bear in mind is that the cocoa mass cannot be boiled – if you happen to do this, fat which is inside will separate and the mass will be too thin and runny.

Makes: about 20-24 cakes
For the sponge cake:
4 eggs
8 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Separate the egg whites from the yolks, add a pinch of salt and beat the egg whites until stiff. Still beating, little by little add first the sugar and then the yolks, one at a time. Sift the flour and baking powder. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a baking tin (lined with baking paper) and bake at 180°C until golden. Allow the cake to cool, then cut it into squares or rectangles, as you please.

For the icing:
250 g butter or margarine
1 ½ cups sugar
3-4 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
5 tablespoons water
2 packs of desiccated coconut (200 g)

Melt the sugar and margarine or butter over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and heat for a while (do not make the mixture boil!), until smooth and combined.

Dip pieces of cake into the icing, gently shaking off excess. Then roll the cocoa-coated sponge in the desiccated coconut.