Banana Fruit Cake
Source: Rose Murray, The Christmas Cookbook Great Canadian Recipes
Yields about 5 pounds of cake

A very moist cake with a rich spicy flavor, Banana Fruit Cake will ripen completely within two weeks. In fact, the flavor and texture are good the day it is baked.

3/4 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup walnuts -- chopped
3 cups candied fruit
2 cups dates -- chopped
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange rind -- grated
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

Prepare two 2 Litre (9x5-inch) 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.

NOTES : Pans can be prepared in one of two ways:
1. butter and line with parchment paper
2. line with aluminum foil
If using parchment paper, it should be removed once the cakes are turned out of their pans; if using foil, allow the cakes to cool a little on the racks before removing.