Apple Date Cake With Coconut Topping

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F), grease and lightly flour an 8-inch (20cm) square (or round) cake tin.

In a bowl, place apples, dates, baking soda and boiling water, give it a gentle stir and set aside to cool for about 18–20 minutes until dates are nice and soft, stirring occasionally.

In another bowl, sift flour and salt together.

Once apple date mixture has cooled, stir coconut oil, egg and vanilla into apple date mixture.

With a metal spoon, stir sifted flour and salt gradually (about 4 tablespoons at a time) into the apple date mixture until all the flour is combined. Spoon cake mixture into cake tin and level out. Bake for 30 minutes.

For the coconut topping:
In the microwave, gently melt coconut oil and honey. Once mixture is liquid, take out of the microwave and stir in almond milk and desiccated coconut. Mix together well.

Spoon coconut topping over the baked cake and press down with the back of a metal spoon to get an even layer. Return cake to oven until topping is golden, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it, it browns quickly.

Place cake on a cooling rack and allow to cool in the cake tin. Slice into squares, gently lift out with a spatula or cake flip, and serve.

Notes:
1. I like to check the cake halfway through cooking time. If it’s already golden enough, which it might be depending on your oven, cover the top with a piece of silver foil and continue baking.
2. This cake is delicious as a dessert! Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. I also like it straight out the fridge in summer. It’s absolutely delicious either way!
3. This can be made a few days ahead of time. In fact, it just gets better as the flavours enhance over time! It freezes brilliantly, too.