Carrot Cake with Maple Frosting

The lightest and most moist carrot cake you will ever come across, if there are any leftovers just make sure you find a good hiding place for it! You could also add 100g of raisins or chopped walnuts to the cake batter once it has been mixed but it is cracking just as it is. If you can’t find 100% spelt self-raising flour then use 100% plain white flour instead with one and a half teaspoons of baking powder to help with the rise.
Carrot Cake with Maple Frosting
serves 8-12

Ingredients

Cake: 350ml olive oil
Cake: 6 large eggs
Cake: 350g light brown sugar
Cake: 250g carrots, grated
Cake: 350g 100% spelt self-raising flour
Cake: Finely grated rind of 2 oranges
Cake: 1 teaspoon baking powder
Cake: 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Cake: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cake: 1 teaspoon mixed spice
Cake: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Frosting: Juice of 1 orange
Maple Frosting: 1 small fresh rosemary sprig
Maple Frosting: 175g icing sugar
Maple Frosting: 75g butter (at room temperature)
Maple Frosting: ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped out with a teaspoon
Maple Frosting: 175g soft cream cheese

Method

1.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line 2 x 23cm loose-bottomed non-stick cake tins with parchment paper. Place all of the ingredients for the cake into a bowl and mix together with a hand-held electric whisk (or freestanding electric mixer). Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cakes are spongy when touched and a skewer inserted in to the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
2.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Sieve the orange juice into a small pan and add the rosemary and cook over a gentle heat for about 5 minutes until reduced to about four tablespoons. Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then take out and discard the rosemary. Put into a bowl with the icing butter and vanilla into a bowl and beat together until smooth. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat in the cream cheese until smooth. Using a palette knife sandwich the cakes together with some of the frosting, then put on a cake stand and spread the remainder all on top. Serve straight to the table, cut into slices on plates to serve. This cake will keep well in a cake tin for up to three

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