BUCKLE UP. Today we’re flying all the way across the planet to the land Down Under.

These days, Australia is known for its ground-breaking fusion cuisine. A couple of decades ago, in typical Aussie ‘devil-may-care’ manner, chefs there began to explore the myriad possibilities of combining the styles and ingredients of cuisines from all around the Pacific Rim, with spectacular results.

Pioneering restaurants like Rockpool, Tetsuya’s and the MG Garage became the world leaders, and back here in the Old World we gathered in their recipes and tips like eager scavengers.

The clean, fresh, minimal seafood styles from Japan, the sweet-salty and often fiery food from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, and the simple styles of the Pacific islands – nothing was discounted.

This brave move spread like a tidal wave around the world.

and is now firmly entrenched in almost every country’s foodie consciousness.

There are simply no hard and fast rules any more. If it tastes good, it IS good. We may fight like cats and dogs when it comes to the Olympic pool or the Headingley test, but we do have an awful lot to thank the Australians for when it comes to food.However, it’s a distant historical period of Australian cuisine to which we’re turning our attention today.

In the early 1900s, Australia was very much more buttoned-up than the easy-going country it is today.

It was all very much the colonial outpost, and life reflected this. The great and the good were building immense houses in large suburban estates, and society moved around an organised social calendar. Tea parties were very much de rigeur. And one of the staples at such parties was a very special little cake, the now-famous Lamington.

A little cube of sponge cake, dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut, this cake is now very much a national treasure Down Under.

In fact, there’s even a National Lamington Day on July 21, so loved is this little feller.

And last week, I tasted my very first Lamington. It’s long been an in-joke between my wife Tracy and I, that one day she’d make me Lamingtons, and I have teased her regularly about it.

Well, she put an end to all that last week, and on Sunday I was presented with a plateful of delicious wee cakes.

The story behind the cake is not unusual, in that it all stemmed from a bit of resourcefulness in the face of a kitchen crisis. I’ve mentioned many times how some of our classic recipes have arisen from a chef desperately rooting round the kitchen for some random ingredients, and serendipity does the rest.

Apparently, a group of impromptu guests descended upon the home of Charles Cochrane-Baillie, the 2nd Baron Lamington, governor of Queensland. Their French chef, Armand Gallad, was called upon to get some tea together. Not having planned for this, chef was forced to cobble together some small squares of day-old sponge cake, which, in desperation, he dipped in a pot of melting chocolate, and then rolled the cakes in desiccated coconut.

They went down incredibly well, and a recipe was born. They weren’t to everyone’s taste; the Baron himself is reputed to have called them ‘those bloody poofy woolly biscuits’, but fortunately for us, his opinion went unheeded. The Lamington was born.

The recipe originally comes from Aussie chef Bill Granger, with some tweaks by Tracy, my wife, one of the best bakers I know.

For the sponge cake:

3 medium free-range eggs100g unrefined Golden caster sugar100g self-raising flour35g cornflour15g salted butter 3-5 tbsp waterFor the chocolate coating:

10g salted butter250g icing sugar100g bitter chocolate60-80ml milk200g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

a deep baking tin, measuring about 20 x 30cm

Preheat the oven to Gas 4 / 180°C. Lightly grease and base-line the baking tin. Beat the eggs until very light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is thick and the sugar is dissolved.

Sift the flour and cornflour together in a bowl. Add to the egg mixture and fold in lightly. Melt the butter in the water and fold gently into the mixture.

Pour this batter into the prepared tin and bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until golden and set. Remove from the oven, remove the cake from the tin as soon as possible, and then place on a wire rack and allow to cool. When the cake is cold, cut it into even pieces, the size of which is up to you.

To make icing, put the icing sugar, bitter chocolate, butter and milk in a bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Meanwhile, put the desiccated coconut into a shallow tray or plate, ready for rolling.

Using a fork, dip each piece of sponge into the chocolate mixture (keep the bowl over the pan of hot water, but off the heat, so the mixture stays liquid), then gently toss in the coconut. Stand the Lamingtons on a wire rack until completely set, if you can stand to. They are immensely more-ish.

Serve with a cup of tea or coffee, ideally wearing a hat with corks in it, whilst listening to Rolf Harris.

Recipe:@ The recipe originally comes from Aussie chef Bill Granger, with some tweaks by Tracy, my wife, one of the best bakers I know.

For the sponge cake:@ 3 medium free-range eggs, 100g unrefined golden caster sugar, 100g self-raising flour, 35g cornflour, 15g salted butter, 3-5 tbsp water.

@For the chocolate coating: 10g salted butter, 250g icing sugar, 100g bitter chocolate, 60-80ml milk, 200g desiccated coconut (unsweetened); a deep baking tin, measuring about 20 x 30cm

Preheat the oven to Gas 4 / 180°C. Lightly grease and base-line the baking tin.

Beat the eggs until very light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is thick and the sugar is dissolved.

Sift the flour and cornflour together in a bowl. Add to the egg mixture and fold in lightly. Melt the butter in the water and fold gently into the mixture.

Pour this batter into the prepared tin and bake for approx. 20 minutes, or until golden and set.

Remove from the oven, remove the cake from the tin as soon as possible, and then place on a wire rack and allow to cool.

When the cake is cold, cut it into even pieces, the size of which is up to you.

To make icing, put the icing sugar, bitter chocolate, butter and milk in a bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water.

Stir until melted and smooth. Meanwhile, put the desiccated coconut into a shallow tray or plate, ready for rolling.

Using a fork, dip each piece of sponge into the chocolate mixture (keep the bowl over the pan of hot water, but off the heat, so the mixture stays liquid), then gently toss in the coconut.

Stand the Lamingtons on a wire rack until completely set, if you can stand to. They are immensely more-ish.

Serve with a cup of tea or coffee, ideally wearing a hat with corks in it, whilst listening to Rolf Harris.