Record-breaking lamington

Rob Lockyear | 18th July 2009

IF BIG is beautiful a gang of Ipswich bakers are going to bake a seriously gorgeous cake on Tuesday as they attempt to build the world's biggest lamington.

Weighing a whopping one tonne, the giant lamington will contain 230 litres of water, 200 litres of eggs, 535 kilos of sponge mix, 75 kilos of lamington mix and 68 kilos of shaved coconut.

It will take a team of three bakers from Billy Mac's more than two days to bake the individual cakes before cementing them together with 75 kilos of jam.

This record feat is in honour of National Lamington Day and who better to make sure it goes to plan than the descendants of the Queensland Governor himself.

Lord Lamington's great-grandchildren, Belinda Leigh and Alex Scrimgeour, have flown over from England to be part of the state's 150th and were stunned to hear of the monster creation.

“That really is something,” Mrs Leigh said.

“I knew the cake existed but I had no idea it was so celebrated in Australia.”

Mrs Leigh said it was a thrill to piece together the jigsaw of her family's ancestry.

“It really conjures up pictures,” she said.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said he hoped Ipswichians would come along and tuck in.

“In Ipswich we can have our cake and eat it too,” he said.

Local historian and lamington buff Councillor Paul Tully said there was much mystery surrounding the creation of Australia's best-loved cake. And while he felt Government House in Brisbane had the most plausible lamington story, Ipswich would soon have one of its own.

“After Tuesday, Ipswich will have a permanent connection to the lamington,” he said.

The giant cake will be at the Ipswich Turf Club from 6-8pm.