Carrot Cake
Carrot gives this cake natural moisture and the added spices, dried fruit and walnuts make it all-round delicious
10-12
180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4
55 minutes
“You can swap walnuts for pecan nuts if you prefer ”
Ingredients
250g carrots, grated
230mL vegetable oil
100g natural yoghurt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 orange, zested
270g gluten-free self-raising
330g soft light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg, finely grated (or 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg)
1/2 tsp mixed spice
100g sultanas or raisins
100g walnuts, half roughly chopped and half kept whole
Icing
100g butter, softened
300g icing sugar
100g full-fat cream cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment. Whisk the oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and orange zest in a jug. Mix the gluten-free flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg with a good pinch of salt in a separate bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Now add the carrots, sultanas/raisins and the chopped nuts (50g). Mix together until fully combined. Divide the mixture equally between the tins.
Bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If any wet mixture clings to the skewer, return to the oven for 5 mins, then check again. Leave to cool in the tins.
To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together with an electric whisk until smooth. Add half the cream cheese and beat again, then add the rest (adding a little at a time prevents the icing from splitting).
Remove the cakes from the tins and sandwich together with half the icing. Top with the remaining icing and walnuts. The cake will keep in the fridge for up to five days. Best eaten at room temperature.
