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Three biscuits on a gray background, one on top of each other (stacked).

Balkan Lamingtons (Čupavci)

Aida
Get your tastebuds ready for the Balkan version of Lamingtons called Čupavci (Scruffies). Think chocolate, biscuit, and shredded coconut combined into sponge squares from heaven!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rest and Coating Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine australian, Bosnian, Croatian, Kosovo, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian, Slovenian
Servings 12
Calories 591 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 approximately 10x12inch baking pan (25x30cm)

Ingredients
 
 

Sponge Cake (Biscuit)

  • 13 ounces white flour plus a little more
  • 2 eggs
  • 10 ounces white granulated sugar or 7 ounces brown sugar
  • 10 ounces milk sub with soy milk
  • 5 ounces vegetable or sunflower oil plus a little more; sub with coconut or avocado oil
  • ½ ounce baking powder
  • (Optional) a pinch of vanilla
  • (Optional) a pinch of rum or cherry brandy višnja

Chocolate Dipping Sauce

  • 10.5 ounces milk sub with soy milk
  • 10.5 ounces baking chocolate (feel free to add more chocolate) sub with dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or chocolate chips
  • 5 tablespoons white granulated sugar or 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Topping (Coating)

  • 7 ounces dry shredded (desiccated) coconut

Instructions
 

Make the Sponge Cake (Biscuit)

  • Heat oven to 200°F (90°C). (Please read the notes below regarding the baking temperature.)
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine dry sponge cake ingredients and stir. Add the rest of the sponge cake ingredients and mix for 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer (or 5-6 minutes if mixing by hand). The batter should be smooth, and crumb-free.
  • Grease your baking pan, and then dust it with flour. Slowly pour the batter in. Shake the pan lightly from left to right to even out the batter. Place in the oven and turn the heat up to 350°F (175°C). The oven will be warming up as the biscuit is baking, so it will rise evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Bring the temperature down to 300°F (150°C), and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If needed, subtract or add a few minutes until it passes the toothpick test.)
  • Remove from the oven onto a flat surface. You can keep it in the pan or transfer it outside of the pan onto a flat surface.

Make the Chocolate Dipping Sauce

  • A few minutes before the baking ends, take a medium-sized pot and combine chocolate dipping sauce ingredients. Heat over low to medium heat while stirring continuously. Once the ingredients have melted together, remove from heat. (Time it so the sauce is ready about the same time the sponge cake is removed from the oven.)

Dip the Sponge Cake Into the Chocolate Dipping Sauce and Shredded Coconut

  • Cut the sponge cake biscuit into approximately 24-32 smaller squares. (The smaller you go the better and tastier lamingtons are. However, the more squares you cut, the more ounces of chocolate you may need to cover them.) You can do this directly in the pan. Alternatively, transfer to a cutting board or a flat surface first. (For neater, more even squares, you can cut off the side edges first.) Pour the shredded coconut into a large mixing bowl.
  • (Please watch your fingers for this part!) While the sponge cake and the chocolate dipping sauce are still hot, dip each square first into the chocolate sauce, and then into the shredded coconut. Use an even, fast movement while dipping. (Alternatively, use a fork.) It's really important that both be as hot as your fingers can handle. The biscuit really soaks up the chocolate this way. Transfer to a serving plate.

Serve

  • Serve alongside a cold beverage or milk. Store in the fridge on a plate covered with foil (or in plasticware) for up to 4-5 days. Some people prefer to heat čupavci in the microwave for a few seconds before eating, but most like them cold. Do not freeze!

Video

Notes

  • Baking Temperature and Sponge Cake Notes:
The baking temperature(s) are a guideline, not the last word. Every oven is different, even at the same temperatures. If your oven is running on the weak side, you can heat the oven at 200°F (90°C), put in the biscuit, raise the temp to 395°F (200°C), and bake for 15 minutes. Then for the final 15 minutes, you can lower the temperature to 355°F (180°C).
Alternatively, if your oven is running on the hot side, you can adjust the temperature to be cooler than the original recommendation, and add or subtract a few minutes at the end. As long as the biscuit passes the toothpick test (the toothpick comes out clean after you stab the biscuit/sponge cake in several different places), you're good to go. 
The point is to let the biscuit bake and rise slowly. This will prevent the biscuit/ sponge cake from breaking down in the middle. This breakage does not impact the taste at all, the dessert just looks a little less "put together." However, Balkan lamingtons are not the type of cake to worry about looks-wise. It's incredibly tasty whatever shape it turns out. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2squaresSodium: 74mgSugar: 44.6gFiber: 8.8gCholesterol: 45mgCalories: 591kcalSaturated Fat: 10.6gFat: 25.8gProtein: 10gCarbohydrates: 82.3g
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