Cupavci – Croatian lamingtons – a sweet that takes you back to childhood [Recipe]

So, we cannot claim lamingtons to be a Croatian invention. But we do have a love affair with čupavci, our own version of this classic Australian dessert.

Čupavci are a favourite sweet at weddings, kids’ birthdays and other festive occasions. For some, Christmas table is not complete without these ‘choco-coco’ bites.

The generation of people who grew up in the 70s can almost turn teary at the sight or mention of čupavci.

And this is where my conundrum begins. A question that I hope you’ll help me answer in the comments below.

How come that of all the places in the world, Australian lamingtons spread only to Croatia? (and neighbouring countries)

OK, we know the Kiwis love their raspberry lamingtons. We also know that in South Africa they are called little porcupines or ystervarkies. In some places across the US, they are coconut bars.

But here? In Croatia? How?

Think about it and tell me later. Now, let’s jump right into the cupavci recipe.

I have the moistest, juiciest recipe for you. The one which is approved by my husband’s inner child. And I tell you, he is one big kid with his fingers always in a cookie jar. 

Cupavci recipe in English

But it was born in haste, and from a pickle (read trouble) that Lord Lamington’s chef found himself in.

Armand Galland had to rustle up a dessert for Lord Lamington’s unexpected guests. So he took some vanilla sponge from the day before, dunked it in chocolate and rolled it in coconut. Of course, everyone loved it.

Now the problem with lamingtons and our own cupavci is the sponge itself.

Even though everyone seems to be crazy for cupavci, the most common complaint is this: they are so dry inside. Which is why lamingtons are so often paired with tea. You gotta wash down that dry sponge with something!

The search for moist cupavci is like the search for a holy grail.

The improved cupavci recipe

Remember the day-old vanilla sponge? The good thing was that the sponge was slightly dry so it could sop up lots of chocolate. The bad thing is that it a sponge.

A sponge uses melted butter, and when it cools down it also dries out.

There is a different breed of cake pastry. It’s called a chiffon cake. A pastry that has a perfect balance of structure and moistness. At least for our cupavci.

A chiffon batter is made with oil, not melted butter. And the airiness is achieved with stiff meringue folded into the base mixture.

Using oil in baking is not news in Croatia. On their long journey to Croatia, Australian lamingtons switched melted butter for oil to become cupavci.

They also lost any variations, such as jam or cream filling. Or the double chocolate version.

Psssst! Sometimes, I make these dark babies for my husband. And though he adores all things chocolate, he prefers the original cupavci.

And so we are back to my original question. How did lamingtons end up here? In Croatia? And when did it happen?

My guess is this. Many Croatian families emigrated to Australia. When travelling by plane became more affordable, people came to visit their motherland. So they brought lamingtons.

This must have happened in the 70s. Because I doubt we had desiccated coconut available in Croatia before that time.

What is your best guess? Or maybe you have facts? Maybe it was you who brought lamingtons to Croatia? 🙂