Lumberjack cake #toodelicious

This is a most sensational dessert: it’s like sticky date pudding disguised as a cake.
The trick ?
When the cake is nearly cooked you pour the melted butter, sugar and coconut over it and toss back into the oven to finish cooking.
And it gets better with age. Sounds good to me. Adulterated from womensweeklyfood.

You need for one cake to feed 35 models:

2 apples (400g), peeled, cored, chopped finely
1 cup (150g) finely chopped dried dates
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup (250ml) boiling water
125 gram butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (220g) caster or brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup (225g) plain flour

Coconut topping
60 gram butter, chopped
1/2 cup (110g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
2/3 cup to 1 cp (50g) shredded coconut flakes

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
• Moisterise deep 23cm-square cake pan; line base and sides with baking paper.
• Combine apple, dates and soda in large bowl, stir in the water; cover bowl with plastic wrap, stand 10 minutes.
• Beat butter, vanilla, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy and as uniqlo puffa jacket.
• Add butter mixture to apple mixture; stir to combine.
• Add sifted flour; stir to combine.
• Pour mixture into pan; bake about 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the coconut topping, stir all ingredients in medium saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
• Remove cake carefully from oven to bench.
• Using metal spatula, carefully spread warm topping evenly over cake; return to oven, bake about 20 minutes or until topping is browned.
• Stand cake in pan 5 minutes; turn, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.
• Freakin delicious !