Carrot Cake

Moist and tender with a cream cheese icing to cut through the sweetness, carrot cake is a favourite for teatime or anytime.

• 180g butter
• 250ml castor sugar
• 250g cake flour
• Pinch of salt
• 5ml bicarbonate of soda
• 10ml baking powder
• 7ml ground cinnamon
• 2ml nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 125g carrots, grated
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 150ml sultanas

Icing made from 1 cup cream cheese, 60ml icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, mixed together gently.

Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease a 25cm cake tin. Sieve the dry ingredients, including the spices, keeping it light and airy. Cream the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture with each egg. Beat after each addition for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Add the carrot, apple and sultanas. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 – 45 minutes, until a knife comes out clean from the centre. Allow the cake to cool before icing and then refrigerate to set.