Lamington Angel Cakes

It is not uncommon for me to decide on something I'd like to bake, only to realise at the last minute I'm missing an ingredient. Sometimes it's a crucial one, other times I google madly to look for substitute ingredients to finish the job. Definitely mastering the art of improvisation around here. I had my heart set on making lamingtons for Australia Day and the proverbial missing ingredient happened to be corn flour. I wasn't too comfortable with any substitutes I found online, so resigned to making a totally different sweet.

Until I remembered an alternative recipe I'd used years ago, from a Women's Weekly Cupcakes pocket book. Sure enough, I had every ingredient required... and it meant using four less eggs than I would have in the official lamington recipe. The result was a delightful cupcake version. These remind me of the old butterfly cakes, which I loved as a child. Whilst mine didn't turn out looking quite as angelic as the name suggests (or as the picture in the book demonstrated), they tasted every bit as ethereal. Sweet, soft, flavoursome little morsels, that certainly did the trick for an Australia Day treat. 

Lamington Angel Cakes

90g butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup (80g) desiccated coconut

1/4 cup (80g) jam (raspberry or strawberry) 

1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream, whipped

Chocolate Icing

10g butter

1/3 cup (80ml) milk

2 cups (320g) icing sugar

1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 180/160 degrees for fan-forced

Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases

Combine butter, vanilla extract, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in small bowl

Beat on low speed using electric mixer, until ingredients are just combined

Increase speed to medium; beat until mixture is changed to a paler colour

Divide mixture among cases, smooth surface

Bake about 20 minutes

Turn cakes top-side up onto wire rack to cool

Meanwhile make chocolate icing

Remove cakes from cases

Dip cakes into chocolate icing

Drain of excess; toss cakes in coconut

Stand cakes on wire rack to set

Cut cakes as desired; fill with jam and cream

Chocolate Icing

Melt butter in medium heatproof bowl over saucepan of simmering water

Stir in milk and sifted icing sugar and cocoa until icing is of a coating consistency

Naturally, I also didn't have any cream on hand 

either... then I recalled my Philadelphia gift pack, containing 

a tub of the new Philadelphia Cream for Desserts... and I was set!