Name: Carrot loaf cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Cuts into 8-10 slices
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: zest and juice 1 orange; 50g sultanas; 150ml sunflower oil plus extra for greasing; 2 eggs; 140g soft light brown sugar; 85g wholemeal self-raising flour; 85g self-raising flour; 2 tsp each ground cinnamon and ground mixed spice; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 140g carrots coarsely grated; 50g walnuts chopped, plus a few halves to decorate; 200g soft cheese (we used full fat Philadelphia); 50g butter softened; 85g icing sugar sifted; pinch ground cinnamon

zest and juice 1 orange
50g sultanas
150ml sunflower oil
plus extra for greasing
2 eggs
140g soft light brown sugar
85g wholemeal self-raising flour
85g self-raising flour
2 tsp each ground cinnamon
and ground mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
140g carrots
coarsely grated
50g walnuts
chopped, plus a few halves to decorate

For the icing

200g soft cheese
(we used full fat Philadelphia)
50g butter
softened
85g icing sugar
sifted
pinch ground cinnamon

Method

step 1
If you have time to do it the night before, put the orange zest and juice in a bowl with the sultanas. If you don’t have time simply stir the zest, juice and sultanas together and microwave on Medium for 1-2 mins.
step 2
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line the base and sides of a 2lb loaf tin. Whisk together the oil and eggs. Mix together the sugar, flours, mixed spice, cinnamon and bicarb in your largest mixing bowl. Add the sultanas with any juice and zest left in the bowl, grated carrot, walnuts and whisked egg mixture into the dry ingredients, then thoroughly mix with a wooden spoon. Tip into the loaf tin and bake on the middle shelf for 1 hr, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake in the tin.
step 3
Once cool, remove from the tin and make the icing. With an electric whisk beat together butter, cinnamon and icing sugar until it comes together and is smooth. It takes a little while to come together (will look like breadcrumbs for a bit). Add the cream cheese and beat briefly until soft and smooth. Be careful not to overbeat or the cream cheese may split and become runny. Spread over the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves.