There’s a strong argument to be made for lamingtons being Australia’s national dessert. Unlike pavlova, which sparks friendly rivalry with New Zealand over its origins, lamingtons are undisputedly Aussie-born. Legend has it that they were created in Queensland in the early 1900s when a maid of Lord Lamington (the eighth Governor of Queensland) accidentally dropped a sponge cake into melted chocolate. Instead of tossing it, she coated it in desiccated coconut – and the rest is history.
Alongside Vegemite toast and fairy bread, lamingtons belong to an exclusive club of Australian foods that are cherished by locals but remain somewhat of a mystery to the rest of the world. For all you out-of-towners, the recipe has stayed true to its roots since the days of Lord Lamington – consisting of two layers of classic sponge cake with a thick layer of vanilla cream and a swipe of raspberry jam sandwiched in between. The double-decker dessert is then dunked in chocolate sauce, coated in shredded coconut and demolished in just a few bites.
In Australia, you’ll find lamingtons everywhere from school fundraisers and Bunnings sausage sizzles to country bakeries and trendy cafés. But our down-to-earth dessert might soon be drawing more visitors Down Under.
This month, Lonely Planet dropped its 2025 Best in Travel guide, spotlighting the world’s top destinations and hottest travel trends. While Launceston and the Tamar Valley ranked among the world’s five must-visit regions, the lamington earned a spot on Lonely Planet’s list of the world’s ten best foods worth travelling for right now.
Spotlighted alongside Vietnamese pho, Indian biriyani and South Korean bibimbap, this list celebrates ten foods that make their destinations “worth the trip for their distinctive and delicious local flavours”. If coconut, raspberry and chocolate count as local flavours Down Under, then we’re all for it.
Hungry for more? Here are the 10 best foods in the world for 2025, according to Lonely Planet:
- Bibimbap, South Korea
- Cozido das Furnas, the Azores, Portugal
- Jerk, Jamaica
- Asado, Argentina
- Jollof rice, West Africa
- Pho, Vietnam
- Biriyani, India
- Hoppers, Sri Lanka
- Momos, Nepal
- Lamingtons, Australia
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