Fifth Recipe Entry

The Best Carrot Cake In The Whole Wide World

Today's entry is sent in, once again, by one of our British friends. TheMadHouse is a delightful blog full of family fun and inspiration and good smells coming from the kitchen and here is the recipe to prove that.

140ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
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 mixed spice*

Orange cream cheese icing

50g cream cheese, chilled
50 g butter at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract
275g icing sugar, sifted
zest of one orange

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 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)

*recipe for mixed spice

Happy C & B (cooking and baking)