St Lucia Banana Cake

Freash fruit cake conjures up the taste of the Caribbean

• 350g/12oz Self-Raising Flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 175g/60z light muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 200ml/7fl oz sunflower oil
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 100g/4oz pineapple, very finely chopped
• finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
• 100g pack walnuts, roughly chopped

For the Frosting

• 2 x 200g packs medium-fat sot cheese, at room temperature
• 200g/8oz icing sugar
• 50g/2oz honey-coated banana chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C. Butter and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. Sift the flour into a large bowl with the soda, mixed spice and sugar.
2. Whisk the eggs and the oil until smooth. Stir in the egg mixture into the flour with the bananas, pineapple, orange rind, juice and walnuts. Stir well. Divide between the prepared tins. Bake for 45 minutes until risen and firm. Cool fo 10 minutes then remove from the tins peel off the paper and leave to cool completely.
3. Beat the soft cheese until smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar to give a smooth frosting. Spred half the frosting over one cake. Put the other cake on top. Spread over the remaining icing, swirling it with a pallet knife. Sprinkle over the banana chips.