Banana tea cakes with dried fruit
4 loaves
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1¾ | cup | Unsifted all-purpose flour |
| ½ | cup | Whole wheat flour |
| 1½ | teaspoon | Baking powder |
| ¾ | teaspoon | Baking soda |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Salt |
| ½ | teaspoon | Ground cinnamon |
| ½ | teaspoon | Freshly grated nutmeg |
| ¾ | cup | Moist dried currants |
| ¾ | cup | Chopped pitted dates |
| ¾ | cup | Diced pitted prunes |
| 8 | tablespoons | Unsalted butter; softened |
| ½ | cup | Light brown sugar |
| ¼ | cup | Granulated sugar |
| 2 | Extra-large eggs | |
| 1 | teaspoon | Vanilla extract |
| 1¼ | cup | Mashed ripe bananas about 3 medium |
| ½ | cup | Buttermilk |
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour four 5x3x 2¾-inch loaf pans.
Sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss the currants, dates and prunes with 1 ½ tablespoons of the sifted mixture.
Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer on moderate speed for 3 minutes. Add the light brown sugar and beat for 1 minute on moderately high speed. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating for 2 minutes longer. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and bananas. On low speed, add half of the sifted ingredients, the buttermilk, then the balance of the sifted ingredients, mixing until the particles of flour are absorbed. Stir in the currants, dates and prunes.
Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly among them. Bake the cakes for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into each loaf emerges clean and dry.
Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 2 to 3 minutes, invert onto another rack and turn rightside up. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
from Baking for Gift-Giving by Lisa Yockelson typed by Tiffany Hall-Graham Submitted By TIFFANY HALL-GRAHAM On 03-25-95