Book of Days Tales

Today is generally accepted as the official date of the founding of the city of Melbourne in Australia (then situated in what was called New South Wales) by free colonists from Tasmania (then called Van Dieman’s Land).   John Batman, a wealthy grazier from Tasmania, explored the area in May and June 1835 and later claimed to have negotiated the purchase of 2,400 km² (600,000 acres) with eight Wurundjeri elders. However, the nature of the treaty has been heavily disputed, as none of the parties spoke the same language, and the elders likely perceived the event as a gift exchange allowing for temporary passage. Batman selected a site on the northern bank of the Yarra River, declaring that “this will be the place for a village” before returning to Van Diemen’s Land.  Then on 30 August 1835 settlers arrived from Tasmania and established a village.  Rights to the land have been in dispute ever since, although in In June 2021, the boundaries between the land of two of the traditional owner groups, the Wurundjeri and Bunurong, were agreed after being drawn up by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council.

Lamingtons are an old favorite of Australians.  They are little sponge cakes coated in chocolate and grated coconut. Any firm plain cake can be used: butter cake, pound cake, Madeira cake, or génoise sponge. Some bakers add a filling of jam but the traditional lamington is just cake, chocolate and coconut. My family often made them for church teas in the 1950s on.

Ingredients

    1 cake (8 x 10 square)

    4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

    ⅓ cup cocoa powder, sifted

    ½ cup warm milk

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    2 cups desiccated, unsweetened coconut, or as needed

Instructions

Cut the cake into 24 cubes.

To make the icing, place the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa into a mixing bowl. Mix in the warm milk and melted butter until icing is fluid but not too runny.

Cover a work surface with parchment or waxed paper, then set a wire rack over top. Pour the coconut into a shallow bowl.

 Using a fork, dip each cake cube into the icing, turning it until all the sides are coated, then roll each in coconut. Place them on the rack to dry.