Lamington Quest #1: Candied Bakery

It is no secret that I love lamingtons. I’m always on the lookout for lamingtons whenever I step into a bakery or cafe: whether in cake, ice cream, doughnut, or milkshake format, you name it, I will eat it. Since I’m always on the quest for a good lamington, I thought that I might as well write it down. Especially as I tend to have goldfish memory.

So, what do I look for in a lamington?

• Jam! (tradition be damned)
• Semi-light and moist (but not soggy) sponge
• Dark chocolate ganache
• Desiccated coconut that actually tastes like real coconut that is not grainy or super flaky
• Not super sweet
• Firm enough to withstand the “eat with my hand without falling apart” test.

I will also try out variations on the theme, as long as they fit the overriding criteria of deliciousness. Although I will never eat a cream filled lamington. Ever.

So, first up: the lamington from Candied Bakery.

It’s a bit odd looking, right? Not what a typical lamington looks like. But then, Candied Bakery is no ordinary bakery. Turns out that they’ve piped in jam at 3 separate points on the sponge, so as to have the requisite jaminess whilst making sure that the sponge stays light and not soggy. I like that attention to detail!

So, the most important part: how does it taste? Very very good. The balance of flavours was spot on. You could taste each flavour with every bite – a lovely dark chocolate ganache that balances out the just sweet enough strawberry jam, and the desiccated coconut provided that smoothness to tie it together, if that makes sense. I would’ve liked a bit more sponge in the lamington, and the desiccated coconut was a little bit too fine for my liking. But, this is a great start to my official lamington quest!

4 out of 5; $4.80

Candied Bakery: 81A Hudsons Road, Spotswood 3015