Re-Inventing the Lamington 2011!

Last year, Ms. Humble almost went more lamington crazy than I did!

OMG. It's that time of year again.

I'm sure that last year, after my first experience of lamington madness, I swore that I would never again embark on such a crazed baking mission. But you know what? I've always been quite a changeable person and have a tendancy to forget trauma. Plus, my new kitchen could do with a dusting of dessicated coconut. Welcome to Re-Inventing the Lamington 2011! I'm so glad you could come.

That's right. I am once again going to re-invent Australia's most famous and often under-appreciated baked good. No more dry, bread-like cubes of icing covered cake masquerading as treats! Say hello to 10 days of beauteous (I'll try!), home-spun creations sporting interesting flavour combinations, and sometimes inappropriate garnishes.

Cherry Ripe Lamingtons were my first stab at re-invention. I salivate in memory.

To the uninitiated, January 2010 saw Delicious Delicious Delicious go lamington crazy, posting a new lamington recipe everyday for 10 days leading up to Australia Day. (Which seems an appropriate day to make lamingtons!)

Once again, I shall be making this a contest and inviting to you join in, spread the word and bake along with me. Last year I was shocked at how creative and amazingly talented you all were. I hope this year even more of you feel inspired to re-invent the lamington, and unleash your inner baking fabulousness. You might even win a prize!

The 2010 winner!

Yes. A prize. In a similar vein to last year's competition, which saw Sanjana of Ko Rasoi emerge victorious, this year's prize will also be food-related. I shall be awarding the best lamington submitted a copy of the incredibly wonderful Rose Levy Beranbaum's book, Rose's Heavenly Cakes.I first heard about Rose when hosting Re-Inventing the Lamington last year, and it's fair to say that her book has changed my life. Albeit in a very small, cake-related way. Her knowledge of baking is second to none, and her recipes are unlike anyone elses, from their ingredients to their mixing methods. I don't think I have ever made so many recipes from a single cookbook, and with such consistently good results. Her red velvet cake is to die for, her chocolate velvet fudge cake sensational, and her true orange génoise is a masterpiece. All these recipes and more are in the book. You want to win a copy, don't you?



If that doesn't float your cullinary boat, well, fear not. Second prize is a Kewpie. I've been letting them pose on my blog alongside the food for far too long now. It's about time they starred in some of your blogposts! The Kewpies come in a sealed box to protect their identity ( at least, that's what I think they're sealed for...), so I don't actually know what kind of doll you'll get. It might be an animal, a fruit or a vegetable. How exctiting!

Lambingtons!

So what do you have to do to enter? Why, I'm glad you asked!

1. First come up with a unique lamington recipe. See last year's round-up for inspiration, if you have trouble.
   
2. Make and photograph your lamington, and post it on your blog, along with the recipe. If you don't have a blog, you can still enter. Just email me photos of the lamington with your recipe, and I'll post it on Delicious Delicious Delicious, as part of the lamington round-up for 2011.
3. Make sure to mention in your blog post that you're entering the lamingtons as part of Re-Inventing the Lamington 2011, and be sure to email me at the address above with a link to your post. Or leave a comment with a link to it, either way is fine.
4. Deadline is 26 January 2011 at 12:00 GMT.
5. Multiple entries are permitted. In fact, they are encouraged; everybody likes a lamington!
   

I hope you'll check back for the daily lamington posts which will be starting on 17 January. Even more so, I hope you'll bake a few lamingtons along with me an enter the contest.

Happy New Year, and here's to a few happy hours in the kitchen!