Australians in London taste test M&S lamingtons: A cubed cake does not a lamington make'

"As an Australian living in London, I'm used to navigating minor cultural differences in the workplace. Case in point: Brits eat their sausage rolls cold, with no sauce. And if you ask for sauce, they'd ask: What kind? But to learn that they hadn't heard of lamingtons the treat I'd scoff at my Grandma's house, the major player at any cake stall, the bakery stalwart, neighbour to the trusty snot block felt downright wrong. Like I'd slipped through a wormhole into a tragic parallel universe."

"What defines a classic lamington? As the legend goes, the cake was created in Queensland in the 1890s, when Lord Lamington's chef whipped up a batch for unexpected guests using leftover sponge cake, dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut. The first known printed recipe for them appeared in the Queensland Country Life newspaper in December 1900. M&S lamingtons. Photograph: Tom Regester/M&S/PA These days, they vary in complexity, but the key ingredients remain."

"Radio Lamington, a lamington business by UK-based Australian restaurant group Daisy Green, says: The classic should be fluffy vanilla sponge, layered with jam and then dipped in a chocolate and coconut dusting. For me, the classic lamington is a cushiony wodge on a paper plate at your cousin's sixth birthday party. It's the sticky residue of chocolate on your fingers. It's finding bits of sweet, nutty coconut on your school collar. It's served in plastic supermarket sleeves, and crinkly bakery bags."

Colleagues in London were unfamiliar with lamingtons, prompting the purchase of two British-made versions and a taste test with Australia-born immigrants. Lamingtons originated in Queensland in the 1890s when Lord Lamington's chef repurposed leftover sponge cake by dipping it in chocolate and rolling it in coconut; the first printed recipe appeared in 1900. The classic comprises fluffy vanilla sponge layered with jam, coated in chocolate and dusted with coconut. Nostalgic associations include childhood parties, sticky chocolate on fingers, coconut on collars, and supermarket or bakery packaging. Some uncertainty remains about whether nostalgia affects objective assessment.

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