Muscovado Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 300g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100g dark muscovado sugar
• 100g light muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250ml oil (you need an oil with as little flavour as possible here, such as grapeseed or rapeseed)
• 1 orange , zested
• 200g carrots , finely grated
• 150g pecans , snapped in half
• 150g golden sultanas

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 75g butter
• 2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 250g soft cheese

1. Heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/ gas 2. Line a 22cm deep cake tin with baking parchment or silicone paper. Sift the flour, cinnamon and baking powder and stir in the sugars, making sure any lumps are crushed. Beat the eggs with the oil and orange zest. Stir in the carrots then fold this and the rest of the ingredients, into the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface. Bake for 1 hour 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
2. For the frosting, beat the butter, sugar and syrup until soft and then beat in the cream cheese until you have a smooth mixture. Chill the mixture until it's thick but spreadable. Pipe in whorls or spread a thick layer on top of the cake.