Carrot loaf cake

Alix continues his foray into baking. I for one am enjoying it. We knew we wouldn't eat a whole loaf in time so cut some off and froze it before icing. Just defrost and ice as needed.

Ingredients

For the carrot cake

• 140ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing

• 2 eggs

• 200g light brown sugar

• 300g grated carrot (grated weight)

• 100g raisins

• 75g walnuts, chopped (optional)

• 180g self-raising flour

• 1 pinch salt

• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp grated nutmeg

• ½ tsp mixed spice

For the orange cream cheese icing

• 200g full-fat cream cheese, chilled

• 50g butter, at room temperature

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 50g icing sugar, sifted

• 1 orange, zest only

  
  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130C.

2. Oil and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking paper.

3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, grated carrot, raisins and chopped nuts.

4. Sift in the remaining cake ingredients and mix using a wooden spoon until well combined.

5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth the surface.

6. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

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

8. Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined.

9. Add the vanilla extract, icing sugar and orange zest and mix until the icing is smooth and thick.

10. Using a palette knife, spread the icing evenly over the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread out.