Fruit and Date Lumberjack Cake

It's not a great photo, but it was a great cake!

If you're like me, you flip through magazines, spot beautiful recipes, rip out the pages and then add them to the pile. If I ever get to making the recipe, the food usually leaves me less than impressed.

I saved the Fruit and Date Lumberjack Cake from the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens. With everything on hand, I decided to give it a try - and I was not disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 c pitted dates

1 t baking soda

1 1/4 c flour

3/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 c butter, softened

1 1/4 c granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 pear or apple, peeled and chopped (I used apple because that's what I had on hand)

1/2 c flaked coconut

powdered sugar

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a small saucepan bring dates and 1 cup water to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in baking soda (mixture will foam); set aside. Cool to room temperature. 

2. In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Slowly beat in date mixture until combined. Add flour mixture gradually, beating just until combined. Fold in pear or apple and coconut.

4. Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. If necessary, rotate pan; bake about 5 minutes more (center of cake may dip). Cool on a wire rack. Carefully remove sides of pan; remove parchment paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

The recipe has a topping of glazed pears and kumquats. I didn't have those ingredients so I left it off. Click HERE for that recipe.

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This cake was very moist and yummy! Sweet but not too sweet. It was fruity but not spiced, a flavor I don't care for.

I will make this cake again. You should, too :)

PS - I made this before I began my dairy-free experiment. But I think it would be just as excellent subbing Earth Balance for Butter, and I plan to make it that way for Christmas!