Carrot cake with cream cheese icing

We saw Miranda Hart on Room 101 this week, and one of the things she wanted to put in there was 'Fruit and vegetables out of context'.  She went on to explain that pineapple on pizza and carrot in cake was what she meant.  Cake and vegetables shouldn't be combined.  Under any circumstances. Carrots shouldn't go anywhere that you can't pour gravy on them, and you wouldn't pour gravy on a cake. Agreed, but I wonder what she thinks about apple sauce with roast pork?

Personally, I think she's right about the pineapple on pizza thing, but I do like a bit of pineapple in my kiwi-burger, along with beetroot, a proper beef pattie and a fried egg.  Yummo.  I am also partial to vegetables in cakes, and have been known to use quite an assortment including squash, courgette, parsnip and beetroot.

However, today it was carrot cake that was on the menu. It's been specially requested by a colleague at work to celebrate her birthday, and I love the recipe that I've used for years, so was only too happy to oblige.

Carrot cake
Ingredients
2 eggs
1C / 230g sugar
3/4 C / 190 ml vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1C flour (I use Doves Farm gluten free)
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C / 240g coarsely grated carrot
1/2 C / 75g chopped walnuts
1/2 C / 90g sultanas

Method
Preheat the oven to 150C / Gas 2.  Grease a ring tin thoroughly.  I recommend using a ring tin to ensure the mixture bakes evenly and doesn't dry at the sides while remaining undercooked in the middle.

Put the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk together until light and fluffy.  This can take quite a while, so be patient.  You're dissolving the sugar and getting some air into the mixture.

Once the mixture is fluffy, sift in the dry ingredients (flour, mixed spice, baking soda & salt) and mix to combine.  Add the grated carrot, chopped walnuts and sultanas.  Mix again to combine thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the cake.

Cool on a wire rack in the tin, and turn out carefully once it's cooled.

Cream cheese icing
Ingredients
25g butter, softened
50g cream cheese
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 C / 250g icing sugar

Method
Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a bowl until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the lemon juice and lemon rind.  Sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.  If it's too runny, add a bit more sifted icing sugar.

Once the cake is completely cooled, ice with the cream cheese icing.  Share with friends... if you must!