Ingredients

cake

• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 250g caster sugar
• 350ml mild olive oil or sunflower oil
• 4 eggs (at room temperature)
• 300g carrot, peeled and grated
• 150g drained, canned pineapple pieces, lightly crushed
• 100g walnuts, roughly chopped

icing

• 125g cream cheese
• 75g unsalted butter (softened)
• 200g icing sugar (sieved)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 25g walnuts, finely chopped

Method

cake

1. Preheat an oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2. Butter and line a 20cm baking tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Sieve the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and mixed spice into a mixing bowl fitted with a beater attachment.
3. Add the sugar, oil, eggs, carrot, pineapple and walnuts to the bowl. spices
4. Beat on a slow speed for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the lined cake tin and place on the centre shelf of the preheated oven. Leave to bake for 1 1/2-2 hours. To test the cake is ready insert a skewer into the centre of the cake it should come out clean when cooked through
6. When cooked remove from the oven and leave to stand for 30 minutes before removing from the tin. Leave to cool before icing.
7. Store the cake covered in the refrigerator.

icing

1. Place the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl fitted with a beater. Beat until until creamy
2. Ice the top of the cooled carrot cake generously and scatter the walnuts over the icing.