Banana fruit loaf

This is another cake from the same book as the rather delicious Kedleston Marmalade Cake. So although it was a bit of a naughty Christmas self-present at least I've used it more than some of my other books (and yes, two recipes made does constitute more than I've made from the majority of my cookery books, and I'm hanging my head in shame as I admit this!)

I really enjoy making loaves like these. Not too taxing to make, last well in the cake tin and you can just cut off a slice whenever you fancy to accompany a cup of tea or coffee. Unpretentious goodness, I'm always glad to be able to add another fruit loaf cake to my repertoire.

This one is particularly good because you don't need to remember to soak the dried fruit the night before (as with some of the tea loaves I make) but the fruit still seems to plump up during the baking, becoming juicy and delicious.

Banana and Raisin Cake (adapted from The National Trust Teatime Baking Book)
Ingredients
75g softened butter
100g light brown soft sugar
3tbsp/40g honey (mine was crystallised, but started off clear!)
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
225g self raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
225g raisins

Method
- Preheat the oven to gas 4/180C. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
- Cream the butter until light and fluffy.
- Add the honey, eggs and bananas and beat well.
- Mix together the flour, spice, bicarb and raisins and fold into banana mixture.
- Mix well then bake for 1-1 1/4 hours until a skewer comes out clean.

From memory, I creamed butter and sugar, added everything else but the raisins, beat until smooth and then folded the raisins in.

This was a delicious, moist cake, with a very subtle hint of banana, a slightly more pronounced spice flavour and juicy, plump raisins in a tasty cake. I'll defnintely add this one to the repertoire and make it again. I think it would be even better spread with a generous amount of butter, preferably one with little salt crystals in it.... Yum!