I’d never heard of this cake until a few years ago when a work colleague brought some in for morning tea. Now there seems to be hundreds of versions available, and why not? It’s sweet, buttery, a bit nutty, very moist and totally delicious. And it’s easy to make.

I really don’t know how it’s got anything to do with lumberjacks, nor even Monty Python. If anybody can give me a clue on this, I’m all ears. 🙂

Anyway, here’s my version of Alison’s recipe.

 

Ingredients

CAKE:
2 medium granny smith apples, diced
185g dates, chopped
1 tspn bicarb soda
1 cup boiling water
125g butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn vanilla essence

TOPPING:
60g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup milk
50g shredded coconut

Method

CAKE:
Mix diced apples and chopped dates together with bi-card soda and boiling water, then allow to cool. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add egg and vanilla and beat well. Sift flour and salt together, and then add to cake batter alternately with fruit mixture, mixing thoroughly between additions.

Pour into cake tin greased and lined with baking paper. Bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour 10 min. While it is still hot, put on the topping.

TOPPING:
Combine butter, brown sugar, milk and coconut in a pan. Stir over a low heat until butter and sugar are melted. Spoon topping over cake, and then bake the cake for a further 15-20 minutes until the topping is golden.