Gluten-free Lamington Recipe with Jam Filling (Low Carb Too!)

So I am still on my jam recipe kick.  So many jams, so many desserts!  But this lamington recipe with jam filling is over the top good. 

This recipe starts with a creamy vanilla cake layered with sweet strawberry jam and topped with dark chocolate and coconut.  Yeah, right? 

No lies, this recipe does take a bit of work, and if you are anything like me, it will make a mess of your kitchen. 

I can tell you after eating one the effort is worth it. 

These lamingtons are fairly large servings and clock in at 6.5 net carbs per slice.    Keto dieters can make these half the size, and cut down on carbs.   Even at half size, they are still super satisfying.   

I mean I could have made them smaller, but I thought a 2×2 square was going to be a good size.  It turns out once you add the filling and the coatings, they bulk up. 

Jam Filled Lamingtons with an extra layer of mystery 

Ok, so traditional lamingtons don’t tend to have a layer of whipped cream filling – I know, I am totally looney.  

This step is entirely optional, but boy does it make these little squares sing.   

You have all kinds of options with this lamington recipe.  Whip cream, no whip cream, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, you can even go wild and use any flavor jam you want.  It all works!

A bit about the lamington cake

This lamington recipe with jam filling starts with a simple gluten-free vanilla cream cake.  This cake is dense and moist and the perfect base for these lamington squares. 

The density is what allows the cake to slice without crumbling into a billion bits.  The addition of xanthan gum helps to create that density. 

Don’t skip the Xanthumn gum in this recipe; it’s the ingredient that holds this all together and helps create perfect slices.  

If the cakes crack a little bit, no worries, small cracks are perfectly fine.  The filling and the chocolate keep everything together, so don’t fret if your cake cracks a little.  Mine did, you can see it in the photo. I didn’t wait until the cake was thoroughly cooled, and it caused those cracks.

Tips:

Here is a tip to getting a perfectly level layer cake.   When the cake comes out of the oven, use a clean tea towel and press it over the top of the cake to level it out.  

Tips for the lamington filling and cutting neat pieces

If you are serving these on the same day you make them, fill and layer your cake with the strawberry jam and whipped cream filling.   

If you plan on keeping a few around for more than a day, skip the whip cream filling and use just the jam.  The cream filling doesn’t hold up as well over a day.   

Once your cake is cut into two layers and filled, place the whole thing in the freezer for a few hours to get everything firm. 

Freezing the cake ahead of time makes cutting perfect little square slices super easy.  It also helps prevent the jam filling from squeezing out the sides when you slice. 

Tips for the chocolate & coconut coatings (oy what a mess!)

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler on low heat.  I find low carb and sugar-free chocolate is a bit fussy when melted, and high temperatures do tend to change the textures in not so great ways.  That means avoiding the microwave.  

I’ve burned too many bowls of low carb chocolate in the microwave.  

Use a small plate and drizzle about 1. 5 tablespoons of melted chocolate over the top of each square, and smear it around the top and sides with a small offset spatula.  I found this to be the best way of getting chocolate all over the lamington. 

Dipping was a disaster and added far too much chocolate to the squares.  Spreading it around kept the layers thin. 

For the coconut topping, process 3 cups of unsweetened fancy shred coconut in a food processor.  You can skip this step, but I found the texture of the superfine coconut was a better addition to the chocolate.   Shredding the coconut is a completely optional step, but I think it made the lamingtons look better. 

What sweeteners are best?

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Use your favorite 1:1 sugar substitute in this lamington recipe with jam filling. 

Powered is preferred over granular, as it blends better and creates a better texture.   Erythritol and xylitol also tend to get grainy when cold, but I found the powdered versions to do it much less. 

If you don’t have powdered erythritol or xylitol and only have granular, go ahead and give it a blast with a high-speed blender, or food processor.  

My favorite powdered sweetener by far is So Nourished Monk Fruit Blend; I find it has almost no aftertaste at all.  The blend of the erythritol and monk fruit works well. 

Swerve. Allulose and stevia will work perfectly fine here as well as does any powdered erythritol or xylitol brand. 

Just remember, xylitol is poisonous to dogs and cats, so if that’s your choice and you have little furry friends running around, be aware that it can be deadly for them.  

Don’t forget about the Strawberry jam filling

You have several options for the strawberry jam filling. 

1. You can make your shelf-stable strawberry filling.  I am big into having a pantry filled with stable shelf staples where I control the ingredients and the level of sweetness.  I make my jams, so when I want to make desserts like this, I can pull a jar out of the cupboard.  If you check out my strawberry jam recipe, you will see my trick to getting perfectly gelled stable shelf jams that taste just like regular jam.   
2. You can also use commercially no-sugar-added or low carb jams.  Just be mindful that these jams have different nutritional values and you will need to verify the carb counts if you use premade jam. 
3.  Probably the easiest – cook down strawberries on the stove with a bit of sweetener until it naturally gels and thickens.  

I’ve added nutritional information for the 3rd option to the recipe.  

storage suggestions for your lamington recipe with jam filling

Serve these lamingtons at room temperature.   Storing them in the fridge will make the chocolate hard.  Still tasty, but the texture is far better if they are at room temperature.

If you use the whip cream filling, be sure to eat them the same day.  They tend not to last as long, and the whipped cream filling gets a bit too soft. 

You can store the lamingtons in the refrigerator, but it does harden the chocolate quite a bit.

The cake freezes beautifully, so you can make that in advance and thaw before assembly. 

Oh, and they are great with a hot cup of coffee!

Want More Low Carb Jam filled Dessert Ideas?

How about this epic black forest cake with cherry jam filling?

We also have these delicious raspberry coconut slice bars.  These simple raspberry squares are SO good the next day.  Amazing with a hot cup of tea. 

Or these blueberry jam ripple cheesecake bars.  Yup, they are as good as they sound. 

Gluten-free Lamingtons with Homemade Jam Filling (low carb too!)

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes

A strawberry jam filled lamington coated with dark chocolate and shredded coconut. Gluten-free, low carb and keto friendly!

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Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup powdered erythritol
• 1/2 cup butter (melted)
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt

Whipped Cream Filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered erythritol

Jam Filling

• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp powdered erythritol

Chocolate Coating

• 1 3/4 cups Lily's Sugar-Free dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Coconut Coating

• 3 cups unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup powdered erythritol

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x9 square pan. Add a piece of parchment to the bottom of the pan.
2. Whip eggs in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) until fluffy and creamy
3. Add butter, vanilla, apple cider vinegar and cream to the eggs and blend well.
4. Sift coconut flour, almond flour, and powdered erythritol into a large bowl.
5. Add baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt to the dry ingredients and mix in well.
6. Pour wet ingredients into dry and blend well.
7. Pour batter into cake pan and level.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Once the cake is baked, pull it from the oven and place on a wire rack. Take a clean tea towel and place over the cake and gently push down to level out the top. Be very careful as the pan is still very hot.
10. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then invert on a wire rack and cool completely.
11. When the cake is completely cooled, slice the cake through the middle horizontally to create two large cake slices.

Jam Filling

1. Place 1 cup chopped strawberries into a small saucepan with 1/4 cup water and 2 Tbsp powdered erythritol.
2. Gently cook over med-low heat until strawberries start to thicken.
3. Cool completely.

Whip Cream Filling

1. Whip 4 ounces of cold full-fat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until cream cheese softens slightly.
2. Add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sweetener to the cream cheese and blend slowly until mixed in well. Whip on high until peaks form and whipped cream is spreadable.
3. Do not over whip.

Coconut Coating

1. Process coconut and powdered erythritol in a food processor until the coconut has a fine texture. This step is optional. If you prefer to not process your coconut, simply add the powdered erythritol to the coconut and blend well.

Chocolate Coating

1. Melt 1 3/4 cups of sugar-free chocolate (I used Lily's) in a double boiler over med heat.
2. When the chocolate is halfway melted, add 1 tsp coconut oil and stir.

Lamington Assembly

1. Spread half the whip cream filling over one layer of the vanilla cake.
2. Add all of the strawberry filling and spread it around as evenly as you can.
3. Top with the rest of the whipped cream filling and top with 2nd layer of cake. Be careful with the cake so it does not break. If found it easier to slide a piece of parchment under the cake layer, and used the parchment to help me lift the cake.
4. Place cake into the freezer for 2 hours. We want the fillings to be stiff when we cut our slices so it doesn't squeeze out and make a mess. Freezers vary in how cold they are, I found 2 hours with my freezer was adequate, but you may need to leave your cake a bit longer.
5. Don't completely freeze, or you will have to wait a bit longer for the cakes to defrost a tiny bit to be able to slice.
6. Slice semi-frozen cake into 16 even 2x2 squares.
7. Use a small plate and pour 1 1/2 Tbsp of chocolate over the sliced lamington square. Use a small knife or an offset spatula to spread the chocolate around the sides.
8. Use a fork and move the chocolate coated cake slice to the coconut. Press the coconut into the sides and top. Use a fork and slide the cake slice from the coconut onto a plate and place it into the refrigerator to harden.
9. Repeat with remaining slices.

Notes

These are very large desserts. When I made them I thought a 2x2 square would be a bit on the small side, but once you add the fillings and coatings, they bulk up.

You could make these 1x1 bite-size pieces and they would be very satisfying.

Recommended Products

• 
  USA Pan Bakeware Square Cake Pan, 9 inch, Nonstick & Quick Release Coating, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel
• 
  Anthony's Xanthan Gum
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour
• 
  Anthony's Organic Coconut Flour
• 
  Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol
• 
  Lily's Dark Chocolate Chips- 1x9 OZ

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 466 Total Fat: 36g Saturated Fat: 21g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 12g Cholesterol: 113mg Sodium: 169mg Carbohydrates: 18g Net Carbohydrates: 6.5g Fiber: 11.5g Sugar: 4g Sugar Alcohols: 16g Protein: 9.6g

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs (and sugar alcohols) are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fibre.