Australia Day Lammies

I am proud to be an Australian. I think that my county is a beautiful one, with beautiful landscapes, animals, cities, waters, flora, food and people. Some of my favorite things about Australia include:

• Our flag. I really like the Aussie flag. I guess the powers that be said that if we're getting a really bad national anthem, we should get a nice flag to compensate. 
• Australian bluntness. I could not imagine calling my boss 'sir' at work. Or having to hide my opinions and defer to the natural order of seniority. Aussies tell it like it is. Go us! 
• Multiculturism. Being a closet asianophile (maybe not so closeted) i love that we have such diversity in our city centres. This is something we need to realize and embrace, because at the moment, we're not doing a good job here. 
• Australian food. Tim tams. Vegemite. Lamingtons. Cherry Ripe bars. Pavlova. Meat pie and sauce. Barbeques. Not only to we have all of these daggy things, but we have amazing examples of every other cuisine, all over the place.

This recipe is what Australia Day would be all about... if it were designed by the gay director of a Rock Eisteddford act.

Ingredients (Makes around 20 lamingtons)

• 125gm butter
• 1 cup sugar
• Dash of vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups self raising flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups coconut, dessicated
• 1 packet of raspberry jelly
• 1 packet of blueberry jelly
• 250ml cream
• 2 tbsp sugar for the filling
• 1 tsp vanilla for the filling
• 1/2 jar jam

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Grease and line a 30cm baking tray 

Cut the butter into pieces.

Place in the food processor with sugar and blend until well combined.
Blend through the vanilla.
Blend through the eggs, one by one until well combined.
Fold through half of the flour followed by half of the milk

Repeat with the other half of the flour and milk.
Pour the mixture into the baking tray
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to cool completely on a rack
Trim the edges of the cake and cut the cake into 20 or so 'fingers'
Make the 2 batches of jelly at double strength (typically 1 cup water to 1 packet jelly rather than 2 cups)
Refrigerate until the jelly is just beginning to set.

Pour the coconut into a shallow dish for rolling.
Quickly dip all sides of each lamington in either red or blue jelly, then roll in coconut

Repeat for all lamingtons.
Leave to rest for at least an hour.

In a large bowl, combine 2 tbsp sugar with the cream and  vanilla.

Whip until quite stiff

Cut the lamingtons in half.

Place 1 tsp of jam on each lamington followed by a dollop of cream

Top with the other half of the lamington.