Carrot Cake
A deliciously moist layer cake that's crammed with spices, zesty orange, pecans, walnuts and juicy sultanas. Perfect for afternoon tea, or an Easter dessert.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 150 g light muscovado sugar
- 50 g walnuts roughly chopped
- 50 g pecans roughly chopped
- 50 g sultanas
- 100 g grated carrot
- 2 medium bananas mashed (around 150g)
- 2 large eggs
- 150 ml sunflower oil
- Zert one orange
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing
- 175 g full-fat cream cheese
- 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 200 g icing sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm deep round cake tin with baking parchment.
- In a stand mixer, or using an electric whisk, beat the sugars and the eggs until pale and creamy, then add the sunflower oil and vanilla extract and beat again until incorporated.
- Fold in the orange zest, mashed banana, grated carrots, nuts and sultanas using a rubber spatula.
- Measure the flour, baking power, pinch of salt and spices into a separate bowl and combine before tipping the dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mixing until entirely combined – either using your stand mixer, or your spatula.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, mix again and then measure into the two prepared cake tins.
- Level the surface and bake for 50-60mins, until well risen. Insert a wooden skewer into the centre to test if it's ready. If it comes out clean you know it's good to go. If it's still wet inside, leave it longer in the oven. You can place silver foil on top of the cake to prevent the top from burning at all.
- Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing
- To make the icing, whip the butter until soft, creamy and pliable.
- Sift in the icing sugar, mixing on a low speed until entirely combined, then add the vanilla extract and beat again.
- Add your cream cheese straight from the fridge, folding in with a spatula (rather than using your stand mixer or electric whisk).
- Place the icing in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes. Slice the tops of your cakes so they're levelled out.
- Top one layer with 1/3 of the icing and place the other half on top. Spread the rest of the icing over the tops and sides, then decorate with pecan halves, slice and serve.