Mark's carrot cake & cream cheese frosting: Today

Ingredients

• 180g wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Nutmeg
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ½ lemon, zested
• 3 eggs
• 150g brown sugar
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 300g carrots grated (2 or 3 carrots)
• 100g raisins
• handful of walnuts, chopped

For the topping:

• 80g cream cheese
• 200g icing sugar
• 200g butter, cubed and at room temp
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ lemon, zested

Method

1. Preheat oven 180oC.

2. Line a 1lb loaf tin with parchment.

3. Add the flour, spices, salt and lemon zest together in a bowl.

4. In another bowl add the eggs and sugar and whisk this together for 2-3 minutes, add in the oil and give it a little whisk.

5. Fold in the flour and baking powder to the egg mixture.

6. Add in the carrots, raisins and walnuts.

7. Mix this all together but don't over mix.

8. Put the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven once when pierced with a cake skewer and it comes out clean.

10. Allow to cool in the tin.

For the topping:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a mixer bowl.

2. Using the whisk attachment and mix on a medium speed (if you don’t have a mixer you can use a wooden spoon or whisk).

3. Make sure the mixture is smooth.

4. Once the cake has cooled spread the mixture generously over the top.

5. Place in the fridge for an hour to allow the topping to harden slightly.