Delight friends with an afternoon tea that includes this easy carrot cake. You can bake the cake, freeze it and just drizzle over the icing on the day
Prep:1 hr – 1 hr and 15 mins
15 slices
175g light muscovado sugar175ml sunflower oil3 large eggs, lightly beaten140g grated carrot (about 3 medium)100g raisins1 large orange, zested175g self-raising flour1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)
STEP 1Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment.STEP 2Tip the sugar, sunflower oil and eggs into a big mixing bowl. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the carrots, raisins and orange zest.STEP 3Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into the bowl. Mix everything together, the mixture will be soft and almost runny.STEP 4Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 mins or until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre.STEP 5Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point if you want to serve it at a later date.)STEP 6Beat the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth – you want the icing about as runny as single cream. Put the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.
