Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake Recipe

To serve 8

Ingredients (for the cake):
250g self raising flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
pinch salt
250g Light Muscovado sugar
200 ml sunflower oil
300g carrots peeled and grated
zest and juice of half a lemon
75g pistaccio nuts (or walnuts), roughly chopped
3 eggs

Ingredients for the Frosting:
200g full fat cream cheese
50g butter
grated zest and juice of one lemon
300g icing sugar sifted
25g pistaccio nuts or walnuts roughly chopped (to decorate)

Method:
1.   Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees (160 for a fan oven)
2.  Grease a 20cm cake tin or tray and line with baking parchment
3.   Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and spices
4.   With an electric hand whisk, beat the oil and sugar together in a separate bowl until well creamed
5.   separate the eggs
6.  add the egg yolks to the oil and sugar and mix well
7.  Add the grated carrot to the mixture then the lemon zest, juice and the nuts
8.  Fold in the flour
9.  Beat the egg whites until light and stiff then fold into the cake mixture with a rubber spatula
10.  pour the cake mix into the prepared cake tin.  Cook on a low shelf for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean

If you have any excess cake mixture divide it between muffin cases and pop in the oven with the large cake to bake but remove the muffins after 15-20 minutes.

 While the cake is cooking combine the ingredients for the frosting until smooth and creamy, cover and place in the fridge to chill

When the cake is baked remove from the oven and stand on a wire cake rack for 5 minutes

Remove the cake from the tin and leave on the wire rack until completely cool

Spread the frosting over the cake and sprinkle with the chopped nuts

If not serving immediately keep refrigerated in a tupperware container for up to 4 days.