Receipe
2 Eggs
200g light brown sugar
300g grated Carrots, (grated weight)
100g raisins
75g pecans or Walnuts, chopped (optional)
180g self-raising flour
1 pinch Salt
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Mixed spice
Orange cream cheese icing - this rarely gets put on in this house, as everyone eats the cake before I get chance!!
50g cream cheese, chilled
50g Butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
275g icing sugar, sifted
1 Orange, zest only
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2. Oil and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper. I just use a silicone one.2.Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, grated carrot, raisins and chopped nuts.
3. Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients and bring the mixture together using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about five minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
6. For the icing: beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Add the vanilla extract, icing sugar and finely grated orange zest and mix until the icing is smooth and thick.
Adapted from Rachel Allen, Bake (Collins)
Even people who say, oh I don't like carrot cake, love this cake. My mum couldn't believe the amount of carrots that went in to it and I guarantee once you have made one, it will become a firm favorite. I don't even peel the carrots before grating them anymore and can make it in 5 mins.
Anyway don't take my word for it, try it and you too will be calling it the best carrot cake in the whole wide world and with all those carrots in, surely it has to count as one of your 5 a day!
