Clodagh McKenna's carrot cake with orange blossom frosting
It’s a favourite - Clodagh’s carrot cake with orange blossom frosting is guaranteed to impress.
Carrot cake with orange blossom frosting
Makes: 1 x 23cm (9in) loaf cake / serves 10
Ingredients
3 medium free-range eggs 140ml (41⁄2fl oz) vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing 225g (8oz) soft light brown sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 350g (12oz) grated carrots (grated weight) 100g (31⁄2oz) golden raisins 100g (31⁄2oz) walnuts, chopped 200g (7oz) self-raising flour 1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the orange-blossom icing
300g (101⁄2oz) cream cheese, chilled 70g (21⁄2oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature 300g (101⁄2oz) icing sugar, sifted 2 tsp orange blossom water Zest of 1 orange, plus extra to decorate (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and oil and line a 13 x 23cm (5 x 9inch) loaf tin with greaseproof paper
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, grated carrots, raisins and chopped walnuts and stir to combine
3. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and bring the mixture together using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined. Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 ¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
4. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely
5. To make the icing, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Add the icing sugar, orange blossom water and orange zest and mix until the icing is smooth and thick. Using a palette knife, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread.
6. Decorate with a sprinkling of orange zest if you wish!