Lamington cake is an Australian treat rooted in tradition, but there are so many fun variants and twists that you never know what you'll be served in a particular household. The classic Lamington cake is a small square of either sponge or butter cake dipped in a chocolate glaze and then rolled in ground, desiccated coconut.

Lamington cake has uncertain origins; some say it originated in Australia in the 1800s, while others say it's based on a New Zealand cake called a Wellington. Today, bakers pay less attention to origins and more to having fun, with flavor variations of the cake including salted caramel, apple crumble, and peanut butter and jelly.

Some Lamington cake recipes add hidden layers of cream or jam, or have unique visual presentations. You can make the dessert in any flavor or color you can dream of: double up richness by adding custard or chocolate cream filling, make things fruity with fresh berries, or freeze the cakes on popsicle sticks for a cool treat.

When making this treat, you need to chill or freeze the cake before dipping it into the glaze to avoid a crumbly mess. Bakers often have to work quickly to dip the square cake pieces into chocolate, then coconut, then transfer the cakes to a cooling rack, but you can find less hectic methods for finishing off your Lamington cakes online.