Name: Vegan Lamingtons
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 260 g (2 cups + 2 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour; 15 g (1 ½ Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch); 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); pinch salt; 200 ml (½ + ⅓ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy); 60 g (¼ cup) unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (I use Coconut Collaborative); 110 g (⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons) vegan butter (melted); 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral flavoured oil (I use sunflower); 200 g (1 cup) caster or granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar; about 200 g (7 oz) raspberry jam; 75 g (7 ½ packed Tablespoons) cocoa powder; 180 g (1 ½ cups) icing (powdered) sugar; 180 ml (¾ cup) boiling water; 75 g (2 ¾ oz) dark chocolate (finely chopped); about 200 g (2 cups) desiccated coconut

Go to Recipe

Vegan Lamingtons - this vegan version of the classic Australian treat are easy to make and taste so good!

Squares of moist vanilla sponge cake are filled with raspberry jam, dunked in chocolate icing and coated in desiccated coconut. Perfect for parties!

Close up of vegan lamingtons, some sliced in half.

I've had a few people ask about a vegan Lamingtons recipe, so here you go!

They are easy to make, with a moist, fluffy vanilla sponge cake, dark chocolate glaze, jam and coconut.

What Are Lamingtons?:

Lamingtons are a popular cake in Australia, they even have their own designated national day! (July 21st).

They consist of squares of butter cake or sponge cake which are dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut.

They may also have a layer of jam in the middle, and sometimes even cream or buttercream as well.

A stack of vegan Lamingtons on a round wire rack.

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Lamingtons?:

Flour: I use a mix of plain flour and cornflour (cornstarch) for the cake which gives it a lovely light texture. You can swap the cornflour for more plain flour if you don't have any.

Non-dairy yogurt: I love using plant yogurt in vegan cakes, it is a great egg replacer and keeps the cake moist as well as adding flavour.

Either soy or coconut yogurt will work, ideally unsweetened. I like the Coconut Collaborative.

I haven't tested any substitutes for the yogurt I'm afraid. Oatly creme fraiche would likely work, and possibly unsweetened applesauce.

Plant milk: You can use any kind you like but it should ideally be unsweetened and soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content.

Vegan butter and oil: Generally in cakes butter adds flavour, but oil makes the cake more moist. I've gone for the best of both worlds and used both!

For the best results you should use a vegan block butter rather than the spreadable kind in a tub. I recommend Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant block.

For the oil I tend to use sunflower as it has a neutral flavour, though any neutral flavoured oil will work.

Sugar: You will need caster or granulated sugar for the cake, and icing (powdered) sugar for the chocolate icing. Don't use brown sugar, coconut sugar, sweeteners or liquid sugars as that will affect the texture of the cake.

Baking powder and bicarb: Using both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will give you the best rise and texture. Don't swap one for the other, you will not get the same result.

Vinegar: This reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help the cake rise and give it a light texture. I use either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. You can also use lemon juice instead.

Vanilla extract: Extract is better than essence and you can also use vanilla bean paste.

Cocoa powder: Either Dutch processed, natural or cacao powder is fine

Chocolate: Use a dark chocolate around 70% cocoa solids so as not to make the icing too sweet.

Jam: I like raspberry best here but you can use any kind you like really. Go for something not too chunky and on the thicker side rather than a runny jam.

Desiccated coconut: Don't use the sweetened variety, it will make the Lamingtons too sickly sweet.

Vegan Lamingtons on a round wire rack with a bowl of jam, some sliced in half.

How To Make Vegan Lamingtons:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Start by sifting together the dry ingredients - plain flour, cornflour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

In a jug, whisk together non-dairy milk, non-dairy yogurt, melted vegan butter, oil, sugar, vinegar and vanilla extract until they are very well combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until no dry lumps remain.

Step 1, a three image collage of making the cake batter.

Pour the batter into a greased and lined 23 cm/9 in square tin and spread it level.

Bake for about 25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Step 2, a two image collage of the cake before and after baking.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack. Leave until it is completely cold.

Once the cake is cold, use a sharp serrated knife to level the top and trim the edges so that they are straight. Cut the cake into 16 squares.

Step 3, the trimmed cake cut into squares.

Slice each square in half and sandwich the two halves back together with a dollop of jam.

Step 4, slicing the squares in half and sandwiching with jam.

Place the squares in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before coating in the chocolate.

To make the chocolate icing, whisk together the cocoa powder, icing sugar and boiling water in a large bowl. Whisk in the chocolate until melted and smooth, set aside until cool. Place the coconut in a shallow dish.

One at a time, dip each frozen square in the chocolate mixture, making sure that it is completely coated. Use a couple of forks to help you turn it.

Step 6, dunking the squares in chocolate.

Shake off the excess icing then then roll it in the desiccated coconut until all sides are covered. Repeat with the rest of the Lamingtons. You may wish to keep most of them in the freezer while you work on a few at a time.

Step 7, coating the Lamington in coconut.

Place the finished lamingtons on a wire rack and leave for a couple of hours until set then store in an airtight container.

Close up of vegan Lamingtons on a wire rack.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

For the best results follow the recipe closely and make it exactly as written. Changing any of the ingredients could affect the outcome of the Lamingtons. I cannot comment on how well any substitutions will work, and any changes to the recipe must be done at your own risk.

While they are easy to make, Lamingtons can be a bit fiddly, so make sure that you read through the recipe thoroughly and check out the step-by-step photos above before you start.

I recommend baking the cake the day before you want to assemble the Lamingtons. It needs to be completely cold before you cut it.

Use a small, very sharp serrated knife with a gentle sawing action to slice the Lamingtons in half. They are less likely to crumble this way.

Don't fill them with too much jam or they might fall apart!

Freezing the cake squares before dunking them in the chocolate is really important to help hold them together so don't skip this step.

Don't over-soak the Lamingtons in the chocolate glaze or they will become soggy. Just turn them in it until they are coated then shake off the excess.

There will be leftover chocolate glaze as it is necessary to make more than needed in order to be able to easily coat the Lamingtons. Any leftover can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days and is great on ice cream!

You can omit the jam filling if you prefer. Don't slice the squares of cake in half in this case.

How To Store Them:

These vegan Lamingtons will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

They should freeze fine but I wouldn't make and freeze them in advance of serving.

More Vegan Coconut Recipes:

Vegan Lamingtons on a metal baking sheet with bowls of coconut and jam.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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