Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing

Who doesn’t like a carrot cake, moist, spicy, and the orange cream cheese icing on this goes so well with it.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C

2. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.

3. Peel and grate the carrots

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, grated carrot, and sultanas

5. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, and spices into a large bowl and stir together.

6. Add the egg and sugar mixture to the flour and stir gently until it is all incorporated.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake for about 1 hour 15, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. It might take 15-20 minutes more.

8. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

   Icing

9. Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until combined and smooth.

10. Add the vanilla extract and stir to incorporate?

11. Sift in the icing sugar and mix until the icing is smooth and thick.

12. Zest the orange, and stir the zest into your icing.

13. Use a knife o spread the icing evenly over the top of the cooled cake.

Ingredients

• 140ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

• 2 large eggs

• 200g Light soft brown sugar

• 2 medium sized carrots

• 100g sultanas

• 180g self raising flour

• 1 pinch salt

• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

  For the icing

• 200g cream cheese, room temperature

• 50g butter, at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 50g icing sugar

• 1 orange

Top Tips

• If your icing is a bit too thick to spread, dip your knife into some warm water and it will spread much easier.