Fruit & Date Lumberjack Cake

By courtneyepowell

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pear or apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• Powdered sugar
• Glazed Pears and Kumquats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pear, cored and cut into wedges
• 3 - 4 kumquats, sliced

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan; line 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. With a slotted spoon, top with Glazed Pears and Kumquats.

Glazed Pears and Kumquats:
In a small skillet combine water and sugar. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boiling and sugar is dissolved. Add pear wedges and sliced kumquats. Cook and gently stir 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.