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Ingredients
- 235ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
- 100g natural yogurt
- 4 large free range eggs
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ an orange, zested
- 265g self-raising flour
- 335g light muscovado sugar
- 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fresh nutmeg, finely grated
- 265g carrots (about 3), grated
- 100g sultanas or raisins
- 100g walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
For the icing
- 100g slightly salted butter, softened
- 300g icing sugar
- 100g full-fat cream cheese
How to prepare carrot cake
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
- Oil and line the base and sides of two 20cm cake tins with baking parchment.
- Whisk the oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and zest in a jug.
- Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg with a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Squeeze any lumps of sugar through your fingers, shaking the bowl a few times to bring the lumps to the surface.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry, along with the carrots, raisins and half the nuts, if using. Mix well to combine, then divide between the tins.
- Bake for 25-30 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 sugar together until smooth.
- Add half the cream cheese and beat again, then add the rest (adding it bit by bit prevents the icing from splitting).
- Remove the cakes from the tins and sandwich together with half the icing.
- Top with the remaining icing and scatter with the remaining walnuts.
- Will keep in the fridge for up to five days. Best eaten at room temperature
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