Banana Fruit Cake



INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c  butter 

2 c  brown sugar

4 Eggs

2 1/2 c  All-purpose flour

1 c  walnuts; chopped

3 c  Candied fruit

2 c  Dates; chopped

1 tb Orange juice

1 ts Orange rind; grated

1/2 ts Orange extract

1 ts baking powder

1 ts baking soda

1 ts salt 

1/4 ts Ground nutmeg

1/4 ts Ground cloves

1 ts Ground cinnamon

1 1/2 c  Mashed bananas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare two 2 Litre (9" x 5") loaf pans. Preheat
oven to 300 F. In a large bowl combine the fruit, dates,
pineapple and walnuts. Dredge  them with 1/4 cup of the
flour.  Sift the remaining flour together with the
baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and
cloves. Set aside. Cream the butter, add the sugar and
beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the
eggs, one at a time. Beat in the orange rind, orange
juice and orange extract. Mash the bananas with a fork.
(A food processor will tend to liquefy the  bananas and
this will change the texture of the cake.) Alternately
stir  the bananas and the flour mixture into the creamed
mixture.  Stir in the  floured fruit and nuts. Turn into
the prepared pans and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes,
or until  a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake
comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then
turn out onto racks.



Banana Fruit Cake