MALTED PUMPKIN CAKE LAMINGTONS DIPPED in CHOCOLATE (PUMPKIN RECIPE SERIES No. 3)

Pumpkin cake with malt, dipped in chocolate, c'mon, what could be better?  What is a Lamington, you might ask,... really, go ahead, ask,... I'm waiting.   Ok, finally, I thought you'd never ask:   (Lamingtons are little sponge cakes coated in chocolate and grated coconut. A traditional Australian treat that appeals to most. Any firm type of plain cake can be used: butter cake, pound cake, Madeira cake or genoise sponge. SOURCE)

All of these photos were taken with my Nikon D5300 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G, verification photo below, that's meant to be funny by the way.  ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL!   

I've not mentioned this in any earlier posts;  my studio is the breakfast nook of our kitchen.  I keep threatening to do a food photo tutorial, and someday I will, and when I do, I will take pics of my studio.  I keep all my props in my studio and  my family jokes that my prop storage area is looking like an old couple’s garage sale but if they only understood how hard it is to reinvest the same items without it getting boring, they would appreciate my stuff more. 

But more on topic, I’m not sure what started it, but there is an epidemic of Australian recipes going around the food blogosphere for some reason. I’ve been seeing a lot of them lately and it’s had me thinking I’d like to get in on some of that action! Hey, don’t go saying “if everybody jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?” ’cause I’m not just following a fad here. It’s just, those Aussies know a thing or two about flavor and who am I to argue with that? I can’t resist a great source of fresh inspiration. 

So basically, a lamington is an Aussie ding-dong dipped in coconut. I know, what! What are we Americans doing with their lives? Now, I’ve put a bit of a spin on the classic (I know, shocker) and made these a little more autumny. Have you ever tried pumpkin with malt? Oh my goodness, it’s so good together, you’ve got to try! 

You see, usually when you bake with malt it likes to make things kind of dry and candied so by adding the pumpkin you create a perfect balance in the cake texture. It’s ultra soft and (for lack of a less hated word) moist. 

The filling is just a simple chocolate buttercream and then, after I dunked them all in a generous amount melty chocolate goodness, I tried a few different coatings because my house is full of coconut haters. I did some coconut, but then I also tried some in cocoa powder and some in roasted pumpkin seeds, In fact, I left most of them plain and simple with only chocolate, but I really liked how the ones with roasted pumpkin seeds turned out. Feel free to mess around with any coating you want. Spooky sprinkles would be fun for October. 

RECIPE

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Yield: aprox 24

Ingredients

Pumpkin Malt Cake:

• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup malted milk powder
• 3 cups all purpose flour

Chocolate Buttercream Filling:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temp
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coating:

• 300g (about 2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Optional toppings:

• sweetened or unsweetened coconut shreds
• roasted pumpkin seeds
• cocoa powder
• sprinkles

Instructions

1. Grease a 13x9 inch glass pan with oil and preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Combine sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Whisk in eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add soda, salt, and pumpkin and mix until smooth, then stir in malt powder and flour until batter is completely mixed. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before assembling cakes. (You can place it in the fridge or freezer once pan is cool to touch if you want this to go faster.)

Filling:

1. To prepare the frosting, beat butter until creamy then add powdered sugar one cup at a time until combined,(it will be thick). Add cocoa powder and stir on low until combined with mixture, then slowly stream in milk while still on low speed. Add salt and vanilla and whip for about 1 minute until fluffy.

Assembly:

1. Once cake is completely cooled, trim rounded or overdone edges, and cut it into squares, I did 4 by 6 to get a total of 24, Slice each square horizontally, like a sandwich bun, and spread filling between the 2 layers. Place cakes side by side on a large tray and place in refrigerator while you melt the chocolate.
2. Line another tray or clean counter with parchment and place a wire rack on top. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium low heat until creamy smooth. Remove cakes from fridge and dip them gently into chocolate and turn to coat all sides. If desired, dip cakes in coconut or other toppings then place on rack allowing excess to drip off. Repeat until all 24 are dipped. Allow to dry completely before devouring.

Notesp.s. you can use all the extras; trimmings, filling, coatings, and any ugly ones, to make yummy cake balls! <- Do this! 

PUMPKIN RECIPE SERIES:

No. 1  GNOCCHI WITH BEER PUMPKIN CHEDDAR SAUCE AND PEAS

No. 2  PEANUT BUTTER PUMPKIN YELLOW CURRY PITA TACOS

 AND A HUGE MASSIVE SHOUT OUT TO @rigaronib for designing my logo!!!! 

 I am always open to feedback, and would love to know how you feel I could do better and please do not forget to follow me