Carrot Cake

I have never been a fan of carrot cake, and would always choose a citrus-y based cake over anything else but after a work colleague requested I make it, this has fast become a favourite bake of mine to do. It is a really simple recipe and the use of mixed spice gives off an amazing aroma throughout the house as it's cooking. 

Ingredients:

175g light muscovado sugar

175ml sunflower oil

3 large eggs , lightly beaten

140g grated carrots

100g raisins

grated zest of 1 large orange

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 ½ tsp mixed spice

For the cream cheese frosting:

175g cream cheese
450g icing sugar, sifted
125g salted butter, at room temperature
grated zest of 1 large orange

Method:

1.    Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment.

2.   Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

3.   Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.

4.   Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. 

5.   Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Set the cake on a serving plate and spread the icing over the cake with a palette knife. Once the frosting has slightly hardened, run a fork lengthways down the cake.