Best-ever carrot cake with cream cheese icing

ingredients

• • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup neutral tasting oil (Nici used sunflower)
  • 2 cup high-grade flour
  • 1 cup wholemeal flour
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 cup grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin and sunflower seeds
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, to garnish

• Cream cheese icing

  • 200 gram cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 30 gram butter, softened
  • 2 cup icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

method

• • 1

    Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 24cm square tin with baking paper.

  • 2

    Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Add the oil and beat again until well blended. Add the sifted dry ingredients – flours, spices, baking soda and baking powder – and mix thoroughly but with a light hand. Fold in the carrots, seeds and lemon juice.

  • 3

    Pour into the prepared tin.

  • 4

    Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

  • 5

    Allow to cool in the tin until warm before turning out on to a wire rack.

  • 6

    Ice with cream cheese icing once completely cooled and shower with toasted walnuts.

• Cream cheese icing

  • 1

    Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

notes

• Makes one 24cm cake. - Using some wholemeal flour and adding pumpkin and sunflower seeds adds texture to this beautiful cake.