Lumberjack Cake is one of those comforting old-school bakes that instantly transports you back to a simpler time. With its dense, moist crumb filled with chopped dates and apples, and a sweet, sticky coconut topping, it’s the kind of cake you’d expect to find cooling on a wire rack in Grandma’s kitchen.
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A little history
While it's known as a classic Aussie cake, Lumberjack Cake is originally from Canada. The first reference I can find to this cake in Australian media is a recipe in The Australian Women's Weekly in June 1975 that was part of a feature called "The Special Foods of Canada". The feature explains that the cake was served in logging camps in Northern Ontario. Which makes a lot of sense given the name of this cake!
I've largely followed the Australian Women's Weekly recipe here along with my mum's recollections of how she made this cake in Hunter Valley bakeries.
Ingredients
Dates and apples are the star ingredients in Lumberjack Cake. You can buy whole pitted dates in a packet from the supermarket. I've used Granny Smith Apples as they are firm and tart – perfect for baking. You could also use Pink Lady, Jazz or Braeburn apple varieties.
(If you love apple recipes, you might also like apple tea cake or apple fritters. If dates are your thing, try the date slice or sticky date pudding recipes.)
The rest of the ingredients, as you can see, are widely available and fairly ususal baking ingredients.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for a complete list of ingredients and ingredient quantities.
Equipment
Lumberjack Cake is traditionally made in a square tin. Here, though, I've used a 19-20cm round springform cake tin. Why? Because using a springform tin means it's easier to remove the cake from the tin without messing up the lovely coconut topping! You could, however, use a 20cm square tin.
How to make Lumberjack Cake
Prepping
Start prepping by pre-heating your oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius / 355 degrees fahrenheit, fan-forced) and greasing your cake tin and lining with baking paper.
Okay, let's make cake!
Making the cake
Peel and core the apples and then finely chop them up into pieces about ½cm x ½cm. Chop the dates into pieces – about 1cm x 1cm. Place the chopped apples and dates into a bowl (see image 1) and add the bicarb soda and water. Set aside.
Next, chop softened butter into pieces and place the butter and sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl and beat until creamed (it will be pale and fluffy) (see image 2).
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again until combined (see image 3).
Now, you need to alternately add the flour and salt and the date an dapple mixture to the creamed mixture.
Add the salt to the flour and then sift ⅓ of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Fold until combined (see image 4).
Add ⅓ of the chopped apple and date mixture and fold until combined (see image 5). Continue to alternate between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ⅓ of the chopped apple and date mixture and folding until all combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin (see image 6).
Bake for 1 hour.
Adding the topping
About 10 minutes before the 1 hour elapses, prepare the topping.
Place all topping ingredients in a saucepan (see image 7). Stir over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves (see image 8).
Once you take the cake from the oven, spread the topping mixture evenly over the top of the cake immediately.
Return the cake (with the topping) to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes (or until the topping becomes a golden colour).
Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before removing from the tin to continue cooling.
Serving and storage
This cake can be served at room temperature – but is perfect served while still a little warm from the oven. Add some cream or custard if you want to add to the blissful experience.
Store the cake in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze – wrap well and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More classic cakes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
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Lumberjack Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 19-20cm round cake tin (springform, ideally)
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 medium apples (300 grams)
- 1 cup pitted dates (180 grams)
- 1 cup boiling water (250ml)
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 125 grams butter (softened out of fridge for 20 minutes and cut into cubes)
- 1 cup caster sugar (215 grams)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups plain / all purpose flour (200 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
- 60 grams butter
- ½ cup brown sugar (100 grams)
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup shredded coconut (70 grams)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius / 355 degrees fahrenheit, fan-forced).
- Grease round tin and line with baking paper.
Cake
- Peel and core the apples and then finely chop. Chop the dates.
- Place chopped apples and dates into a bowl and add the bicarb soda and water. Set aside.
- Place butter and sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl and beat until creamed (it will be pale and fluffy).
- Add egg and vanilla extract and beat again until combined.
- Add the salt to the flour and then sift ⅓ of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Fold until combined.
- Add ⅓ of the chopped apple and date mixture and fold until combined.
- Continue to alternate between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ⅓ of the chopped apple and date mixture and folding until all combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared round cake tin.
- Bake for 1 hour.
Topping
- About 10 minutes before the 1 hour cake baking finishes, prepare the topping.
- Place all topping ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
- Spread topping mixture evenly over the top of the cake immediately upon taking it from the oven.
- Return the cake (with the topping) to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes (or until the topping becomes a golden colour).
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before removing from the tin to continue cooling.
Notes
- I've used Granny Smith Apples as they are firm and tart – perfect for baking. You could also use Pink Lady, Jazz or Braeburn apple varieties.
- Lumberjack Cake is traditionally made in a square tin. Here, though, I've used a 19-20cm round springform cake tin. Why? Because using a springform tin means it's easier to remove the cake from the tin without messing up the lovely coconut topping! You could, however, use a 20cm square tin.
- Finely chop apples up into pieces about ½cm x ½cm. Chop the dates into pieces about 1cm x 1cm.
Libby Hakim
Such a classic!