1 c Dates, chopped
1 c Water; boiling
1 ts Baking soda
1/4 c Butter; at room temperature
1 c Sugar
1 ts Vanilla
1 1/2 c Flour; cake and pastry
1 ts Baking powder
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Walnuts; chopped (optional)
Topping:
4 ts Butter
1/2 c Brown sugar
3 ts Cream; whipping or table
1/2 c Coconut; sweetened shredded
Lightly grease 8 inch square baking pan. For cake, combine dates, boiling
water and soda in bowl until well blended. In separate, larger bowl, cream
butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. In third bowl
sift together, flour, baking powder and salt. Add date mixture and flour
mixture alternately in two batches to butter mixture. Stir in walnuts if
using. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350F oven 30 minutes.
While cake is baking, make topping. In small saucepan, melt butter, brown
sugar and cream; bring boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in
coconut. Spread over warm cake. Preheat broiler; broil cake until topping
is bubbly, watching constantly to keep from burning. Cool; cut into
squares.
Yields
12 Servings