Carrot & apple cake
AmelIA’s recipe has evolved from her mum’s much-loved carrot and apple muffins. now a cake with cream cheese icing, it is a favourite with her work friends and makes the house smell lovely when baking.
HANDS-ON: 30 mins BAKE: 1 hour
SERVES 12
You will need: 20cm round, deep cake tin, greased, then base-lined with baking paper.
FOR THE SPONGE
2 large eating apples, peeled, cored and grated
100g carrots, peeled and grated
200g plain wholemeal flour
100g granulated sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1½ tsp ground cinnamon 1½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp salt 65ml runny honey 65ml maple syrup 165ml vegetable oil 3 eggs 1½ tsp vanilla extract 80g raisins 50g walnuts, chopped
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM ICING 50g unsalted butter, softened 100g icing sugar, sifted 50ml double cream 100g full-fat cream cheese 50g walnuts, finely chopped Pinch of ground cinnamon Heat the oven to 180c/fan 160c/350f/ gas 4. Put all the sponge ingredients in a mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon, beat them together to make a soft batter. Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour, until golden brown, risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM ICING
Using an electric hand whisk, beat the butter in a bowl until it is really soft. add the icing sugar and whisk on a low speed until combined and smooth. add the double cream and whisk again for about 4 minutes, until thickened, then add the cream cheese and whisk again, briefly, until thick and creamy.
spread the buttercream icing over the top and sides of the cake and sprinkle the walnuts over. Dust lightly with the pinch of cinnamon.