Lamington Wag-Anna

 

Lamington gets a facelift, the sponge replaced with sable biscuit to add crunch. These go out like hot cakes… for events, gifts and that perfectly naughty sweet treat!

Makes 15

Ingredients

100 g (3½ oz) raspberry jam

200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate

20 g (¾ oz) cocoa butter (optional)

150 g (5½ oz) shredded (desiccated) coconut

SABLE BISCUIT

75 g (2¼ oz) unsalted butter

50 g (1¾ oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar

1 egg

100 g (31/2 oz/2/3 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

50 g (1¾ oz) cocoa powder (unsweetened)

½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped

MARSHMALLOW

160 g (5¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped

6 sheets titanium-strength gelatine, softened in cold water

2 tablespoons glucose syrup

Method

1. To make the sable, preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Put the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Starting on low speed, then increasing to medium speed, beat until pale and creamy.
3. Continue beating as you add the egg. Gradually add the flour, cocoa and the vanilla seeds and mix until a smooth dough forms.
4. Gather the dough into a ball, shape into a flat rectangle, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
5. On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to 5 mm (¼ inch) thickness. Use a 5 cm (1½ inch) diameter cookie cutter to cut the dough into 30 discs.
6. Lay the discs on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden. Cool on the
   tray then set aside in an airtight container until ready to use.
7. To make the marshmallow, combine 100 ml (3½ fl oz) of water in a saucepan with the sugar
   and vanilla seeds. Bring to the boil.
8. Meanwhile, put the softened gelatine and the glucose syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
9. Turn the mixer onto medium speed and pour the boiling liquid into the mixing bowl with the gelatine mixture. Increase to high speed for about 3–5 minutes until the marshmallow has cooled (make sure it’s still slightly warm when you work with it, once it sets it will be hard to push into shape).
10. Lay 15 of the sable discs on a tray lined with baking paper and place a 1 cm (3/8 inch) dollop of raspberry jam in the centre of each disc.
11. Put the marshmallow into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a size 10 nozzle. Pipe the marshmallow into the middle of each sable disc in a dollop about 2 cm (¾ inch) high.
12. Place the remaining sable discs on top of the marshmallow and carefully press down so that
    the marshmallow reaches the edge of the sable. Transfer to the refrigerator until the marshmallow has set.
13. Put the milk chocolate and cocoa butter, if using, in a small microwave-proof bowl and melt in the microwave until two-thirds of the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate until completely smooth and cooled down to 29°C (84°F).
14. Use a fork to dip the marshmallow biscuits into the melted chocolate, making sure the entire surface is covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then place on a tray lined with baking paper or acetate.
15. Cover one side of the Wag-Annas with shredded coconut and transfer to the refrigerator to set.

The shelf life of the Wag-Annas, once dipped into chocolate, is about one day before the chocolate starts cracking and the biscuit starts to soften: you really need to be eating it with a crunch.