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Sticky date, coconut & feijoa lumberjack cake - The Brick Kitchen
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Sticky Date, Coconut & Feijoa Lumberjack Cake
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
 

A sticky, tender date cake studded with tangy feijoas and finished with a caramelised coconut topping. The cake is baked for 30 minutes, then the coconut topping added before baking a further 30 minutes. You can use a 20cm square or 22cm round cake tin. 

Replace the feijoa with ripe diced pear if they are unavailable.  

Adapted from Frances - a restaurant in San Francisco. 

Author: Claudia Brick
Ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup medjool dates , pitted and halved (this was 10-11 dates for me)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 130 g butter (4.5 ounces / 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups plain flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup peeled and diced feijoa
Coconut topping:
  • 1 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 50 g butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a 20cm square or 22cm round baking tin.
  2. In a small pot over medium heat, combine the medjool dates and water. Bring to the boil. Add the baking soda and use a fork to whisk to combine. Turn off the heat and leave to cool. Using the fork, mix and slightly mash the dates a couple of times as they cool until you have a slightly chunky brown date paste.
  3. Meanwhile, cream the butter and both sugars until pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to fully combine.
  4. Add the date paste to the creamed mixture and stir until combined.
  5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and coconut and fold until just combined.
  6. Add the feijoa chunks and gently fold through.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes. While cooking, make the coconut topping: combine all ingredients in a small pot over a low heat until melted together.
  8. When the cake has baked for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and gently spoon over the coconut topping, spreading out in an even layer.
  9. Return to the oven for a further 25-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the centre is no longer jiggly.
  10. Leave to cool for a minimum of 2 hours.
  11. Serve alone or with ice cream or mascarpone for dessert.