Čupavci, also known as Australian Lamingtons, is a biscuit dipped in chocolate sauce and covered with coconut. It’s called čupavci (which translates to “messy” or “furry”) because of the coconut flakes. This dessert can often be found in the Balkan regions, and it’s one of the many desserts that my mom would make every Christmas for our guests during lunch and dinner. She only makes this during Christmas, so if only I had realized I’d need to wait until next year to eat it again, I would have grabbed a few more pieces before it was all gone.
Ingredients
BISCUIT
3 eggs
150g sugar
9g vanilla sugar (can be found in European shops in Vancouver or Burnaby)
100ml oil (usually vegetable oil)
150ml milk
200g flour
1 baking powder 12g*
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
125g butter
100g cooking chocolate
150g sugar
250ml milk
Rum (optional)
100g of coconut flakes (the finer the better)
You’ll Need
Hand mixer
Two bowls
Spatula
Medium cake pan
Medium/large pot
Three plates
Directions
BISCUIT
Step 1: Turn the oven on at 350° F
Step 2: Separate the egg yolk from the egg whites, and add the egg whites to a bowl
Step 3: Beat the egg whites for three minutes on medium speed
Step 4: Slowly add the sugar into egg whites, and continue mixing until it becomes fluffy (approximately ten minutes)
Step 5: Add one egg yolk at a time to the egg whites while continuing to mix
Step 6: Add 100ml of oil, 150ml milk, and 1 vanilla sugar to the egg mixture; using a spatula, mix all ingredients together.
Step 7: In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder
Step 8: Slowly add the flour mixture to the first bowl of ingredients, and continue mixing with hand mixer
Step 9: Line the medium cake pan with parchment paper or butter and flour
Step 10: Place the mixture into the pan and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until it turns a golden brown; start the chocolate sauce while it cooks
Step 11: When the biscuit is fully baked and golden-brown, remove it from the oven and let it cool down
Step 12: After it has cooled down, cut it into approximately 5cm squares
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Step 1: In the medium/large pot, add the butter, cooking chocolate, sugar, and milk; keep it at a low-to-medium temperature, and stir it constantly
Step 2: The moment it starts to boil (about 10-15 minutes) set a timer for 5 minutes
Step 3: Once the timer goes off, remove the sauce from the heat, and let it cool down
Step 4: Add some rum for flavour (optional)
Step 5: Once the chocolate and biscuits are cooled, dip one biscuit at a time into the chocolate sauce, then place them onto a plate
Step 6: Place a handful of coconut flakes on a new plate, and cover the biscuits with them (if the coconut flakes on the plate start to get a bit chocolatey, use a fresh batch)
Step 7: Chill in the fridge overnight
Step 8: Serve!
