Light carrot cake

• vegetable oil↗230ml ml

  plus extra for the pan

• natural yogurt↗100g g
• large eggs↗4
• vanilla extract↗1½ tsp tsp
• orange↗½

  zest

• self-raising flour↗265g g
• light muscovado sugar↗335g g
• cinnamon↗2½ tsp ground tsp

  ground

• nutmeg↗¼ fresh

  finely grated

• carrot↗265g g

  (about 3 pcs), grated

• sultanas↗100g g

  or raisins

• walnuts↗100g g

  or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

• soft salted butter100g g

  soft

• icing sugar↗300g g
• soft cheese↗100g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C with convection/gas 4. Grease and line the base and sides of two 20 cm diameter cake tins with parchment. In a jug, whisk together the oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and zest. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg with a generous pinch of salt. Press any sugar lumps with your fingers, shaking the bowl several times so the lumps rise to the surface.

2. 2

   Add the wet ingredients to the dry, together with the carrot, sultanas and half the nuts if using. Mix well, then divide the batter between the tins.

3. 3

   Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If wet batter remains on the skewer, return to the oven for another 5 minutes and check again. Let cool in the tins.

4. 4

   To make the frosting, beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth. Add half of the soft cheese and beat again, then add the remaining cheese (adding in stages prevents the frosting from separating).

5. 5

   Remove the cakes from the tins and stack them, using half of the frosting as a layer between.

6. 6

   Cover with the remaining frosting and sprinkle the rest of the walnuts. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to five days. It tastes best at room temperature.