Carrot cake

Ingredients:

• 260g carrots
• 4 oranges
• 100g walnuts
• 230g dark Muscovado sugar (+70g later)
• 230g flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 eggs
• 145g vegetable oil
• 280g full-fat cream cheese

Methods:

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease an 23cm loose-bottomed round cake tin.
• Grate the carrots, grate zest from 2 oranges, chop the walnuts. Put these and 230g of muscovado sugar into a large bowl.
• In a different bowl mix flour, baking powder and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves).
• Lightly beat the eggs, combine with oil.
• Add flour mix to the carrot mix and stir until well combined. Add the egg mixture and stir until well combined.
• Pour into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 35-60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, make candied orange peels. Peel 2 oranges with a vegetable peeler. Cut the peels into thin stripes. In a small saucepan, combine the peels with the juice of these 2 oranges and 70g of muscovado sugar. Simmer until caramelised.
• When the cake is ready, wait for it to cool completely.
• Make the icing: hand blender cream cheese with the orange syrup from the caramelised orange peels.
• Spread the icing over the top of the cake, decorate with caramelised orange peels.

Notes: If you are in a rush, decorate the cake with candied orange peels as it comes out of the oven and serve the icing on the side.

Inspired by: Delicious magazine