Australia Day for me is a time to celebrate how lucky I am to call this amazing country, home. There are many many people who are certainly not so lucky and even when things may not be going so well I think it's important to try to remember how lucky I am! Australian cuisine is an interesting thing. I think it's such a mish mash of ideas from so many cultural influences drawing on the fact that we are a hugely multi cultural society. Our food certainly celebrates this with strong influences from our Anglo English history and then our Meditteranean migrants and more recently the flavours from Asia. Another reason to feel lucky to be an Australian!

I think baking is probably for me, where I draw mostly on the classics which I would consider Aussie as! It's those things that my nana and my mum have always made that seem quintessentially Australian like the pavlova, the ANZAC biccie (that's right not cookie!) and the YoYo. On Australia Day you also have to include the lamington in that list. It apparently harks back to a ye olde Governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington, whose cook dropped a sponge cake and turned it into a chocolate dipped, coconut covered alternative that would from thereon be called the lamington! Wherever it came from it is delicious.

This is a new twist on the lamington tradition merging a little of the old with a bit of a current ktichen trend. The cupcake has been everywhere for a while now, so why not give it some lamington love and take the Oi Oi Oi all the way to the kitchen.

415g plain flour
200g unsalted butter
395g caster sugar
1 tbs vanilla extract (or paste)
1 cup full cream milk (250ml)
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
¼ cup strawberry jam
Frosting:
100g unsalted butter
2 cups icing sugar mixture
2 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs milk
desiccated coconut for decorating

1. Cut the butter for both the frosting and the cake batter into cubes and place into separate dishes. Place both dishes into the Combi Steam with the measured milk for the cakes and the eggs (still in their shells). Select Steam. Set the temperature to 30°C. Leave for around 10 minutes to bring it all to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile combine the flour and the baking powder in a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine and remove any lumps. Do the same think with the icing sugar and the cocoa powder.

3. Cream the softened butter and caster sugar with an electric mixture until very light in colour and fluffy and creamy in texture. This will take at least a few minutes of serious beating. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after adding each one.

4. Add half of the flour and fold through. Then add half of the milk and mix in. Add the remaining flour and fold through and then add the last of the milk. Mix until combined but don’t over mix.

5. Select Hot Air with Steaming on your CombiSteam. Set the temperature to 160°C. For variable Steam select 20% or low. Allow to preheat.

6. Line two 12 hole cupake trays with paper cases. Fill each one around ½ full with the mixture. Spoon ¼ tsp of the jam into the centre of each one. Top with some more mixture filling to about ¾ full. Don’t over fill the cases as they will rise.

7. Place the cakes into the preheated Combi Steam on Levels 1 and 3. Bake for 14-16 mins or until golden and springy when pressed gently on the top.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the tins. Remove and place on a cooling rack until completely cool.

9. While they are cooling make the frosting by beating the softened butter with an electric beater until smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar and coca mixture and the milk. Beat until smooth and well combined. Make sure the sugar has dissolved completely.

10. Spread the frosting over the tops of the completely cooled cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle with coconut.

*to check if sugar in the frosting is completely dissolved rub some mixture between your thumb & finger – it should feel totally smooth – if not keep mixing.

Tip: Cooking cupcakes with both Hot Air (convection/fan forced heat) and Steam ensures they are moist and light. It’s the perfect balance! If using a V-ZUG appliance you can also try Hot Air Humid as an alternative option and see what you prefer.

Happy Australia Day and Happy Combi Steaming!

Enjoy!
Yours in the kitchen,
The CSQ. x