Passionfruit and Coconut Sponge Fingers

A friend recently mentioned to me that she had tried to make some lamingtons and had a great deal of trouble making the sponge. She said it turned out ‘like an omelette with sugar on top’, which did not sound very appealing. I had never tried to make a sponge before and with a glut off eggs in the fridge, I thought it was a perfect chance to give one a go.

I found that the sponge worked out very well, and while it did smell a little ‘eggy’ cooking in the oven, it did not thankfully, taste like and omelette when cooked. With the idea of lamingtons planted firmly in my head, I thought that would be a great way to use the sponge. I failed to remember that I had given away all my cocoa, so the sponge instead became coconut and passionfruit sponge fingers. I used up some passionfruit curd lurking in the fridge and made a simple coconut icing for the top with desiccated coconut, icing sugar and water.

Sponge Fingers (Printable Recipe)
Adapted from Stephanie’s Genoese Sponge, pg 429
Makes 12 serves

5 eggs, at room temperature
60g butter, melted and cooled
150g plain flour
¾ cup castor sugar

Grease a slice tin and line with baking paper, letting the paper come up and over the 2 long sides of the tin. Preheat oven to 180C.

Pour eggs and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until thick and the texture of mousse. This takes 5 – 10 minutes. Sift flour into mixture and fold in well. Pour in butter and fold through thoroughly. Make sure there are no hidden pockets of unmixed flour or butter hiding anywhere.

Pour into tin and bake for 18 – 20 minutes, making sure not to open the oven door for the first 15 minutes, or you will have a flat pancake! Take out of the oven when cake is cooked through, testing with a clean skewer. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then pull out of tin with paper flaps.

When cool, cut in half lengthwise. Spread one half with passionfruit curd. Place plain piece on top, sandwiching the curd in the middle. Make a simple icing and spread over the top. Let the icing set a little and then cut into 12 fingers.