CARROT CAKE

Ingredients:

300g cake flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

200g soft brown sugar

4 eggs

250ml oil

1 orange, zested

1 lemon, zested

200g carrots, finely grated

150g walnuts, chopped

227g tin pineapple pieces, well drained and chopped (optional)

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

125g unsalted butter at room temperature

50g icing sugar

250g cream cheese

Method:

Heat the oven to 170C/fan. Line a 20cm, 10cm deep cake tin. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together and stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs with the oil and citrus zests. Stir in the carrots and fold everything into the flour mixture. Fold in the walnuts and pineapple if using. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool.

For the frosting, beat the butter and icing sugar together until soft and then beat in the cream cheese. Chill the mixture until it’s thick but spreadable. Spread a thick layer on top of the cake, making sure the side of the icing is flat and continues upwards from the side of the cake. Decorate with walnuts (optional)