LUMBERJACK CAKE

I guess most would have a recipe for this luscious, decadent cake. Or, perhaps, like me you didn't know of it. It was labelled a 'healthy option' to the Christmas fruitcake. I 'whipped it up' yesterday and, as fortune would have it, we had visitors in the afternoon, ravenous, hot and thirsty after a shopping trip in 30+ heat. So in the air-conditioned comfort they partook of Lumberjack and ice-cold soda water with a dash of lime. Hoping for more visitors today....don't get me wrong, it is delicious and that's our problem! Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
2 medium apples, chopped
180g pitted dates, chopped
1tsp bicarbonate soda
1tsp mixed spice
75ml oil (olive, sunflower, canola)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
1 cup wholemeal flour
Cup rolled oats
Cup sunflower seeds

Topping
Cup brown sugar
Cup skim milk
Cup shredded coconut

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C. Spray a 19cm cake time with oil and line the base with baking paper.
• Combine apples, dates, bicarb soda and one cup of boiling water in a small bowl and leave to cool
• Blend mixed spice, oil, sugar, egg and vanilla in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
• Sift flour and return husks to flour. Combine sifted flour, oats and sunflower seeds.
• Fold flour mix and date mix into egg mixture. Pour into tin and bake for 35 minutes.
• Combine topping mix and gently spread over partially cooked cake.
• Return to oven and bake for a further 20 minutes or until top is brown.
• Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out. Cool before slicing.

For extra wellness: Use soy milk for dairy-free.

For gluten-free: Substitute gluten-free flour for flour and rolled amaranth for rolled oats.

Mmm, even nicer today!