be warned: this cake is darker than wuthering heights and completely irresistible (it has been know to induce intense, moody cravings).
ingredients
250g flour (use wholemeal spelt flour for an extra nutty taste)
1 tsp baking soda
1 generous tsp mixed ground spice
1 generous tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmega pinch of salt
a pinch of ground cloves
4 free range eggs
170g brown or unrefined sugar
250g white sugar370g light olive, grape or sunflower oil
3-4 biggish carrots, grated (you should have roughly 200g)150g of walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts (or whatever you're nutty about)
method
preheat your oven to 150 degrees celcius.
sift all the dry ingredients together and enjoy the spicy aroma.
lightly blend the eggs together and then add these with the two sugars to the sifted dry ingredients. stir gently until just combined and then beat with a cake mixer or (or, if you're an enthusiastic purist, by hand) for around 4 minutes - but be careful not to overbeat or you will toughen your batter.
this makes quite a big carrot cake so find a round 20cm cake tin that is deep enough to allow for some rising. line the base with baking paper and oil the sides. pour the batter in and bake for approximately 90mins to 2hours (check regularly after 90mins until wooden skewer comes out clean)
when done, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool before icing.
the cream cheese icing (oh! la la! the very best bit!)
125g cream cheese
100g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
juice and zest of 1 or 2 lemons (depending on how lemony you're feeling).
throw everything in a bowl and beat it until it begons to resemble the lovely, decadent icing it is. after lashing this creamy concoction on the cake with great flourish (this flourish is very important and cannot be overdone), you can garnish with roasted nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, dried apricots, and dark or bittersweet chocolate.
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