This Lumberjack Cake is a moist apple and date cake with a delicious coconut topping. The perfect treat for morning tea or dessert.
Have you heard of Lumberjack Cake? It is an old fashioned apple and date cake with a yummy crispy coconut topping for a hearty morning tea.
Ingredients notes:
- Apples: Any type of apples can be used. The skins can be kept on when grating, just give them a wash first.
- Dates: I used Medjool dates when I photographed this cake. But I've also used dried pitted dates ad they work just as well (and are cheaper!).
- Coconut chips: Personally I like the texture created by the mixture of coconut chips and shredded coconut. You could also use desiccated coconut if you prefer.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin. Add apples, dates and baking soda to a bowl. Pour in boiling water, mix together and set aside for 10 minutes while you make the batter.
Melt butter in a large microwave proof bowl, pour in sugar and whisk together. Crack in the egg and a teaspoon of vanilla then mix again. Add the apple and date mixture and sift in the flour and baking powder. Fold everything together until just combined.
Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 55 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Add all of the topping ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the topping over the cake. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin to cool, then turn out and place on a serving plate. Dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, it actually tastes better the next day. Because it is a moist cake and also excellent heated up for dessert with ice-cream. Just keep it in an airtight container once it is completely cool.
My cake tin is 22cm and works really well for this recipe.
Yes, once the cake is cooked remove it from the oven and spread the prepared topping straight onto the top and pop back into the oven.
Yes, this is still a delicious moist cake without the crunchy topping. I would suggest dusting it with icing sugar and serving it with yoghurt. Yum.
Storage:
Store your cake in an airtight cotainer in the pantry for up to three days.
Top tips:
- When returning the cake into the oven for the topping, keep an eye on it. Every oven is a little different and you don't want it to burn on the edges.
Related Recipes:
Made this recipe?
Please click on the stars below to rate it or, write a review!
Lumberjack Cake
This easy lumberjack cake is made with apples, dates and has a delicious coconut topping.
Ingredients
- 2 large apples, grated
- 1 cup dried or fresh dates, chopped
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup boiling water
- 125g butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 ½ cup plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbsp icing sugar to serve
Topping
- 60g butter, melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 cup shredded coconut (I used half coconut chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C fanbake. Grease and line a 22cm round cake tin.
- Add apples, dates and baking soda to a bowl. Pour in boiling water, mix together and set aside while you make the batter. (10 mins)
- Melt butter in a large microwave proof bowl, pour in sugar and whisk together. Crack in the egg and a teaspoon of vanilla then mix again.
- Add the apple and date mixture and sift in the flour and baking powder. Fold everything together until just combined.
- Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 55 minutes. (or until cake springs back when you press it)
- Topping: Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
- Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the topping over the cake. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin to cool, then turn out and place on a serving plate.
- Dust the cake with icing sugar before serving.
Notes
- I used a 22cm cake tin for this recipe
- When returning the cake into the oven for the topping, keep an eye on it. Every oven is a little different and you don't want it to burn on the edges.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 358Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 276mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 3gSugar: 39gProtein: 3g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
If you don't already follow me, head over to my Instagram, Facebook or TikTok pages to keep up to date with all my new recipes.
Vanya
EmP says
Absolutely delicious! I thought I’d wait till tomorrow for the flavour to come together overnight but screw it! I’m having it with custard right now and it’s absolutely delectable!
VJ cooks says
Hahaha, well that's got to be one of the best endorsements! So glad you enjoyed it!
Katie O'Keeffe says
Wondering if you've ever tried this with cream cheese frosting? I'm thinking of making the cake in two layers. Putting cream cheese frosting between and on top and then putting the crunchy coconut flakes in between the layers and on top. Finishing with a sprinkle of cinnamon and icing sugar...
VJ cooks says
I haven't but that sounds great. Let me know how you get on.
Katie Okeeffe says
I did it! I wish I could attach a photo. I added roasted chopped pecans to the cake mix along with a teaspoon of cinnamon. I then made a Swiss meringue cream cheese frosting. I baked two cakes but the second cake I left off the coconut from the topping so the top of the cake was more stable. I cut each cake in half and then layered cake, frosting, toasted shaved coconut, cake, frosting, coconut etc. for the top I left the top layer as the top cake that had the coconut cooked as per the recipe. I then naked frosted the outside of the cake by scraping back the frosting to a really thin coating and finally pressed toasted shaved coconut all over the outside. It’s like a cross between a lumberjack and a hummingbird bird cake - is it a lumberbird or a hummingjack? It looks beautiful and tasted delicious. We taste tested with a small 4” cake before deciding on making it for my father in laws 70th. The party is tomorrow so I’ll let you know what the verdict is!
VJ cooks says
Wow, sounds great! Maybe a Lummingbird hahaha. I'm sure everyone was super impressed.
Corina says
Would you have cooking times for this to be made in large muffin tray? Love to serve them individually. Thanks!
VJ cooks says
It depends on the size of your muffin tins, by 'large; do you mean 6 per tray? I would cook those for 20-30 minutes initially (or until a skewer cam out clean) then a further 10-15 minutes (or until golden and crispy) for the topping.