Lamingtons with Ants?
Christopher Thé’s recipe for Green Ant Lamingtons is super intriguing, surprisingly easy, and totally delish. Enjoy!
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Lamingtons are a classic Aussie delicacy, but old is new again with Christopher Thé’s innovative take on these spongy cakes.
His Green Ant Lamingtons contain real ants, and although you can leave them out if you like, Christopher promises that the insects are delicious, with a nutty, lemony flavour that reminds him of coconut.
This sounds good to us, and you can definitely trust that Christopher knows his stuff.
He invented the ‘most Instagrammed cake in the world’ – aka Black Star Pastry’s signature Strawberry Watermelon Cake – and has an amazing knack for creating gorgeous-looking food with masterful ingredients.
Christopher’s brand-new cookbook, Modern Australian Baking, is a testament to this, with its swoon-worthy incorporation of native flavours into sweet and savoury delights.
But let’s start with the Green Ant Lamingtons, because whether you’re wanting to impress the guests, cook with the kids, or find an excuse to play the Ants Go Marching remix on repeat, these insect-encrusted treats have the wow factor!
So, without further ado, here is...
CHRISTOPHER THÉ’S RECIPE FOR GREEN ANT LAMINGTONS
Makes: 12 lamingtons
Equipment: 30 × 20 cm (12 × 8 inch) baking tin
INGREDIENTS
Sponge cake
300g (2 cups / 10 1/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
15g (1/2 oz) baking powder
2g (2 teaspoon / 1/16 oz) ground lemon myrtle
200g (7 oz) butter, diced
200g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
6g (1 teaspoon / 1⁄8 oz) vanilla extract
165g (6 oz /approx. 3) whole eggs
250g (9 oz) buttermilk
Chocolate sauce
350g (12 1⁄2 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
25g (1 oz) cocoa powder
10g (1⁄4 oz) butter, diced
60g (2 oz) boiling water
To assemble
200g (7 oz) desiccated (shredded) coconut
30g (2 tablespoons / 1 oz) green ants
3g (1 teaspoon / 1⁄10 oz) ground lemon myrtle
Substitutions
Green ants > crushed coriander seeds
Lemon myrtle > lemongrass
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160˚C (320˚F). Grease and line the tin with baking paper.
For the sponge cake, sift the flour with the baking powder and lemon myrtle. Add the butter, sugar and vanilla to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until well incorporated, about another 2 minutes. Add half the buttermilk and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, scrape down the side of the bowl, then add the flour and mix on slow speed. Just before the flour is fully combined, scrape down the side of the bowl once more and add the reserved buttermilk. Continue to mix until homogeneous. Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then flip upside down onto a wire rack. This will help to keep the cake as flat as possible. Remove the baking paper and allow to cool. Cut the cake into 5cm (2 inch) cubes and freeze until hard, about 2 hours. (This makes dipping easier.)
To make the chocolate sauce, add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small container that is deep enough to submerge the lamingtons when they are dipped.
Add the desiccated coconut, green ants and lemon myrtle to a bowl and mix well. Spike the frozen sponge squares with a fork and dip into the chocolate sauce. Allow any excess to drip back into the container then toss in the coconut mixture. Repeat for all the lamingtons, then transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Allow to set for 2 hours before serving.
These lamingtons will turn out ahhhh-mazing!
And once you’ve sampled the green ants, you can move on to other native ingredients, like saltbush, bunya nuts and finger lime – which Christopher serves up beautifully in his new cookbook.
The above recipe is an edited extract from Modern Australian Baking by Christopher Thé, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally.
Photography by Chris Chen.
