Re-Inventing the Lamington - The Best Three Lamingtons of 2011

Last year, I discovered the lamington - an Aussie sponge cake or butter cake cut into cubes, dipped in chocolate, and then dipped in dessicated coconut (see the Lamington Wikipedia article for a more detailed description).  At the request of Mr. P. from DeliciousDeliciousDelicious, I entered his 2010 Re-Inventing the Lamington contest and created lamington cupcakes.

Bride and Groom 3.0 (read my about page if you have no clue who these people are) enjoyed the lamingtons so much that after declaring "Lamington Love-ington," they selected the frosting from the lamingtons to grace their wedding cupcakes.

This year, I am participating in the Re-Inventing the Lamington contest in a different capacity - I'm a judge!  Mr. P. warned me that it was going to be hard.  Boy, was that an understatement.  As you can see in the 2011 Round-Up, the entries ran the gamut of styles, from simple and whimsical to elegant gourmet concoctions.  Some entries had compelling stories to go with them and some even featured prehistoric animals.  Mr. P. said that I should pick my favorite three.  After much internal debate (the voices in my head convened for hours), here are my selections:


Apple Streusel Lamingtons

The apple streusel lamington recipe comes from Katherine (she doesn't have a blog).  It's an apple-filled cake rolled in warm cream cheese frosting and a homemade streusel, which is then baked again to make the coating crisp.  I am totally enamored with the concept of a cake that has streusel (the best part of a cake) on all sides.  Katherine's recipe is homey; it reminds me of something my grandma would make if my grandma made lamingtons. It's the lamington that I would want to eat (and eat and eat) if I were lucky enough to be at a party where it was being served.


Rehrücken Lamingtons

Rehrücken lamingtons were created by Accro. Rehrücken is an Austrian cake (the name means venison in German), and in its non-lamington form, it is designed to look like a piece of venison (check out the real deal).  The slivered almonds sticking out of it are meant to look like the strips of lard that would stick out of real venison meat (appetizing, right?).  I love how Accro re-invented the lamington to become a Rehrücken, and in the process, re-invented the Rehrücken.

While Accro's end product looks more like a medieval mace than venison, if you cut the Rehrücken in half, it resembles the eyes of the poor deer staring you down prior to its death.

Now, let's talk about taste.  The Rehrücken lamingtons are chocolate nut sponge cakes filled with raspberry jam, glazed with apricot jam, and then covered in chocolate hazelnut spread. That's some meat that even a vegetarian would love.

S'mores Lamingtons

For my third pick, I was debating hard between these s'mores lamingtons and one of the other entries.  Suddenly, I realized that both entries were created by Curtis of Wannabe Culinarian.  That made my choice a bit easier because I knew that whichever one I picked, I would be showing him the love he deserved. 

This graham cracker pound cake filled with marshmallow cream, covered in chocolate, and then sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs takes the all-American classic campfire treat and turns it into a lamington-lovington fit for any fine restaurant.  If there were ever a way to bring the lamington to America, this would be it. 

Who Won?

Be sure to stop by DeliciousDeliciousDelicious to see the other entrants and to find out who ends up winning the grand prize!