Hummingbird Cake

This recipe has been a family favourite for a long time. Most people have their own variation of this time tested cake and this is mine. I like to serve it with either a lemon and cream cheese frosting or else with some shredded coconut and brown sugar baked on top of the cake.

PREPARATION:

1 3/4 cups SR flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 fresh pineapple, cored and diced (can use canned)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to moderate or 180 C. Grease and line a 23 cm square cake tin. Sift flour and spices together into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, pineapple, bananas, coconut and nuts. Fold in the oil and eggs and mix until well combined. Spread mixture into cake tin and bake for around 35 - 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into cake. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Either dust with a little icing sugar or ice with a lemon and cream cheese frosting.
To make frosting, beat some icing sugar and cream cheese together with an electric mixer. Gradually add some lemon juice until you get a nice fluffy consistency. Spread over cooled cake.