Lumberjack cake

It's an old fashioned cake, but it's delicious, and it's nice to have a hearty cake without icing for a change. 

Ingredients

200g fresh dates,  chopped

1 tspn bicarb

125g butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tspn vanilla

2 granny smith apples, grated

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup self raising flour

Topping

75g butter

1/2 brown sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded coconut

Grease a 20cm cake tin and line with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 

Boil the dates in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Stir in the bicard soda and then remove from the heat. 

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add in the eggs and vanilla. Then, stir in the date mixture and the grated apple, then fold in sifted flours until just combined. 

Spoon into prepared tin and bake for about 40 minutes. 

Meanwhile make the topping. 

Combine all the topping ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring over low heat until the butter is melted and everything is just combined. 

Remove the cake from the oven, and spread the topping over it. 

Return the cake to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. 

Leave the cake to cool in the tin completely. 

Dust with icing sugar before serving.