Canadian Date Slice

I don't know why it's called Canadian Date Cake. It's too cold to grow dates in Canada.

Tom's Tip — fresh, fresh, fresh
The fresher your baking soda, the better your cake.

Preparation time: 60 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Oven temperature: 150°C

Topping
Brown sugar (not raw) — 1 cup (softly packed)
Butter — 1/3 cup
Coconut shredded — 1 ¾ 
Milk – ¼ cup

1. Pre-heat oven to 150°C.
2. Dissolve Bicarb soda in water and add dates to soak for 15 minutes.
3. Cream butter and castor sugar together.
4. Add eggs and beat through until light and fluffy.
5. Sift salt and flour, and combine with creamed butter/sugar mixture. Add tinned apple and date mixture and mix thoroughly.
6. Pour into greased and lined cake tin.
7. Prepare topping.
8. Bake cake partially until firm to touch (approximately 30-35 minutes) then remove from oven and spread topping over top, then return to oven for a further 10 minutes at 150°C to cook topping.
9. Allow cooling in tin for approximately 20 minutes then turning out on cooling wire and allow more cooling.

Topping:

1. Place milk, butter and brown sugar in saucepan, stir together and bring to a rolling boil.

2. Take off stove, add coconut and mix well.

3. Spread over cake.

www.beechworthbakery.com