Unique desserts of Australia & New Zealand
An important aspect of any trip is to learn about the culture of the place you’re visiting. For me, I aim to immerse myself as much as I can. It’s not just about being a tourist, it’s about trying on a whole new way of life.
Travel is a transformative experience because I can see how there is no one “right” way to live. People perceive reality through the lens of their traditions and norms – and I love understanding perspectives different from my own.
Traveling is a doorway of understanding.
A huge part of many cultures across the globe is food, of course, and above all – dessert! That’s why when I visited Australia and New Zealand, I made it my mission to find the desserts these countries are most known for.
People told me that there’s not many dishes that are specifically “Australian” or “Kiwi,” but I did find that there were a few unique dessert choices I’d never heard of before, until my visit. Here are a few of them!
Pavlova – one of the unique desserts of Australia
“What’s pavlova?” was my first question when we arrived in Sydney. Little did I know at the time how amazing this dessert is!
Pavlova is dessert made with a crispy meringue exterior and soft, creamy and light interior, topped with fruit and whipped cream. This dessert = a dream.
It also holds an interesting history. Back in the 1920s, a Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, came to tour Australia and New Zealand. Her dancing skills must have seriously impressed the Aussies and Kiwis, because they decided to name an entire dessert after her.
Aussies and the Kiwis still argue to this day over who actually created pavlova, and I can see why – the dessert is so good, I’d want to claim it as my own invention, too.
Regardless, it’s undeniable that both countries have adopted it into their national cuisine.
If you want to try making a pavlova of your own, check out these cookbooks:
New Zealanders, however, can claim ownership of the world’s largest pavlova. In 2005, students at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay, NZ made a pavlova that stretched 64 meters long. That’s a lot of pavlova.
It was a scavenger hunt finding a pavlova in a shop that day, since it’s made of meringue, it’s more of a specialty type of dessert.
People tend to make pavlova home and bring it over for a party or barbecue, and from my particular experience, it was hard to find it sold at a bakery, possibly because it doesn’t have a long shelf life.
After checking at least 4 or 5 bakeries, I thought all hope was lost. And then as luck would have it, we chose to go to Bills restaurant after a long afternoon walking from Coogi Beach to Bondi Beach, and guess what? Bill’s had pavlova on the menu!
It was so huge I didn’t think I could finish it all myself, but I actually did end up having most of it. Bills’ version seemed to be created with a twist, slightly modified from traditional pavlovas served in a typical Aussie or NZ home.
Instead of berries, they topped the meringue with pistachios, white chocolate shavings, and rhubarb. The end result was satisfyingly light and creamy with just enough sweetness.
If you are going to Australia or New Zealand, you absolutely must find pavlova! It is worth it.
Lolly Cake
A lolly cake — it’s a lollipop, right? Although to some, that’s what the name might suggest, this New Zealand dessert is far from any type of hard candy.
This multicolored confectionery is actually quite soft – like the texture of refrigerated cookie dough.
In fact, lolly cakes are made with Eskimo lollies or fruit puffs, really similar to marshmallows. Add in melted butter and sweetened condensed milk, and there you have it, it’s a lolly cake.
Typically rolled into a log shape, lolly cakes can be found in grocery stores and bakeries. Unlike a pavlova, you probably won’t find a lolly cake in Australia – this dessert is truly unique to New Zealand.Â
Here’s a few cookbooks I found about cuisine unique to New Zealand:
I came upon this particular lolly cake, photographed above, at a bakery in the Ponsonby neighborhood of Auckland. Now I wish I had purchased more than just one!
Lamington
Lamington is so popular in Australia that there’s even an entire day dedicated to it – July 21. It’s certainly one of the top most unique desserts of Australia.
This interesting Australian cake is surprisingly spongy and lightly sweet. Made from squares of butter or sponge cake, it’s also coated in dried chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut flakes. Makes a great pairing with a cup of coffee or tea!
How did lamington get its name?
This dessert is believed to be named after either Lord Lamington, governor of Queensland from 1896-1901, or his wife, Lady Lamington.
There are multiple stories on how this unique cake originated, but one seems to agree who first invented the lamington.
I like the story of Lord Lamington’s chef, who needed to whip up something quick for some unexpected house guests. He took French vanilla sponge cake and dipped it in chocolate, setting it with coconut.
It seems that lamington really started to get its reputation as a uniquely Australian dessert when a reference to a “lamington cake” appeared in a newspaper in 1896.
If you’re interested in learning how to bake your own lamington, check out this beautiful cookbook and this fun kid’s book:
Nowadays, you might see signs for a “lamington drive,” which is just like a modern day bake sale here in the U.S. It’s a great way to sell baked goods, or in this case, sell lamingtons, to raise funds for a cause.
Looks like you can also order Tim Tams, maybe the best packaged cookie ever created in the world, on Amazon! These were literally my favorite snack while on my trip there.
I might just order these right now, actually…
What do you think – which Australian or New Zealand dessert would you want to try? Let me know in the comments.
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Want more? Check out my post that dives into the vibrant restaurant and bar scene in Melbourne, Australia.
