Coconut panna cotta lamingtons recipe

Aussie lamingtons meet Italian panna cotta in this deliciously decadent take on Flour & Stone panna cotta lamingtons.

Coconut panna cotta lamingtons

You may remember reading about my experience with the best lamington I’ve ever tasted. 

Named a panna cotta lamington, this goey, rich tribute an Aussie favourite can be found at Flour & Stone bakery in Sydney.

I had my first and only heavenly experience there when I first met Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella last year. 

Of course I should have expected that meeting up with a self-confessed sweet tooth might result in a little over-indulgence. 

Ever since that day I’ve been dreaming of the lamington.

I vowed that for Australia day this year I would recreate the pillow-like cake. 

I assumed it was probably a case of making up a sponge cake and then soaking it in panna cotta until the two set together in wedded bliss.

What I didn’t expect was to come across THE panna cotta lamington recipe! 

What do you need to make pannacotta lamingtons

SPONGE CAKE

• Butter - real, pure butter not the spreadable type that comes in a plastic tub. 
• Superfine sugar - also known as caster sugar
• Eggs - at room temperature
• Self-rising flour - here's how to make your own self-raising flour
• Milk - full cream milk

PANNA COTTA

• Gelatin leaves
• Coconut cream - the stuff that comes in a tin
• Sugar - just regular white sugar
• Vanilla bean paste

Can you use gelatin powder instead of gelatine leaves

Yes you can. For every 1 gelatine leaf you will need 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatine. 

CHOCOLATE COATING

• Good-quality dark chocolate
• Butter - again, the pure stuff
• Icing sugar - also called confectioner's sugar. Here's how to make your own icing sugar. 
• Milk - full-cream milk
• Desiccated coconut - or use shredded, or chipped coconut or a combination

Can you use cocoa powder instead of dark chocolate

You could potentially use it but it won't be the same. 

This chocolate icing is more like a dark chocolate ganache. 

How to make vanilla panna cotta lamingtons 

The original recipe sandwiches two layers of milky cake together with a raspberry jam centre. 

As this my first attempt with gelatine leaves and third attempt ever at sponge cake I thought I’d leave out that step.

Start by making the sponge cake. 

You can do this up to a day ahead of time. 

Even stale sponge cake works well for lamingtons especially these ones soaked in panna cotta. 

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.

With the motor running slip in the beaten eggs a little at a time and blend until they're taken in by the sugar and butter and the mixture thickens.

Alternate between sprinkling in the flour and pouring in the milk (with the mixer running) until the batter is smooth and pale.

Divide the sponge batter between the tins and smooth out the top.

Bake for 15-20 minute or until the top takes on a golden hue and springs back when gently pressed in the middle.

Remove the tin(s) from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool.

A tip I later learned is to put baking paper (or parchment paper) on the wire rack so the cake doesn't get indents.

How to make the coconut panna cotta

To add an extra boost of coconut goodness I used coconut cream in place of the regular cream the recipe called for hence coconut panna cotta lamingtons. 

I’ll let you in on a secret. 

The real reason I used coconut cream was because I didn’t have any regular cream and I couldn’t be bothered going out for it but I’m actually quite please with my lazy results.

Can regular cream be used instead of coconut cream

Absolutely. You can use either or just make sure whichever you use is full-fat. 

After pouring the coconut panna cotta over the sponge it soaked it up within minutes just like a … well just like a sponge.

How to make the chocolate coating

I hit a bit of a road block with my chocolate melting. 

I don’t know if it was the weather (let’s blame the weather) but my chocolate kept seizing when I used a large bowl over a double boiler. 

After throwing out two batches I gave up and used the microwave which made a nice smooth bowl of melted chocolate. 

You might have more luck than me though.

The bottom photos is to show you how messy this gets. 

That was actually after I’d cleaned up a little. 

Make sure you clear a lot of bench and keep anything you don’t want to cover in chocolate well out of the way.

I was pretty happy with my first attempt at coconut panna cotta lamingtons. 

I’d still buy the original version from Flour & Stone should I happen to find myself in the neighbourhood but here, I’ll settle for and enjoy my own homemade version.

Keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to devour them. 

They're just as good the next day (maybe even better as the flavours all combine). 

The gooey, rich centre adds just enough to elevate the humble afternoon tea treat into a decadent dessert. Enjoy!

Ok I left this bit as a side note incase you're not as nerdy as me and wonder about the origins of things. 

I wondered what the word panna cotta actually means. 

It turns out panna is cream and cotta translates from Italian to English as surplus. 

​So I'm guessing it was perhaps first created to use up leftover cream although I can't find information on the true origins. 

Looking for more lamington recipes?

You might also enjoy these recipes:

• Raw lamington bites
• Classic lamingtons
• Lamington whoopie pies

Recipe