Easy carrot cake

Top this classic carrot cake with moreish cream cheese icing and chopped walnuts or pecans. Serve as a sweet treat with a cup of tea any time of the day

Prep:35 mins
Cook:30 mins
Plus cooling

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 680
fat 37g
saturates 8g
carbs 78g
sugars 61g
fibre 3g
protein 8g
salt 0.6g

Ingredients

235ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
100g natural yogurt
4 large eggs
1½ tsp vanilla extract
½ an orange, zested
265g self-raising flour
335g light muscovado sugar
2½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated
265g carrots(about 3), grated
100g sultanasor raisins
100g walnutsor pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
100g slightly salted butter, softened
300g icing sugar
100g full-fat cream cheese

Method

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.