Easter Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 200 g soft brown sugar
• 140 ml vegetable oil
• 300 g grated carrot
• 2 eggs
• 80 g chopped walnuts
• 180 g self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• for the lemon icing:
• 250 g cream cheese
• 50 g softened butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g icing sugar
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tblsp lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/ Gas Mark 2.
2. Oil a loaf tin and line with parchment paper.
3. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, mix in the vegetable oil, then the sugar, then the carrots and walnuts.
4. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix together well.
5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for about 1h-1h 15minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Leave to sit in the loaf tin for a few minutes before removing.
7. Set aside to cool completely before adding the icing.
8. For the icing, beat together the butter and cream cheese using an electric mixer until smooth.
9. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and stir.
10. Then add the icing sugar and combine until smooth and thick.
11. Spread icing over the cooled carrot cake and serve.