Carrot cake with pumpkin seeds, apricots and honey yogurt icing

Makes a 20cm cake

For the cake mixture

—2eggs — 120ml maple syrup

— 75ml mild vegetable oil, plus

extra for greasing

— ¼ tsp black cardamom seeds — 4 cloves

— 150g wholemeal spelt flour,

plus extra for dusting

— 1 tsp ground cinnamon — pinch of grated nutmeg

— 2 tsp baking powder

— 300g carrots, peeled and

finely grated

— 60g dried apricots, chopped — grated zest of ½ orange — 40g pumpkin seeds

For the icing

— 150g full-fat cream cheese — 150g yogurt of your choice — 25g acacia honey

— 2-3 drops vanilla extract — 1 tbsp lemon juice To decorate — edible flowers and pumpkin seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.

Beat the eggs and maple syrup

in a bowl for several minutes with an electric whisk, gradually adding the oil.

Finely grind the cardamom and cloves using a pestle and mortar. Combine the flour, spices, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a second bowl, add to the egg and oil mixture, and mix briefly. Fold in the grated carrot, the chopped apricot, two thirds of the orange zest and the pumpkin seeds.

Grease a 20cm springform cake tin with oil and dust with flour. Transfer the cake mix into the tin, smooth the surface, and bake in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes, until risen and golden brown. When an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Carefully turn the warm cake out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

For the icing, mix together all the ingredients with most of the remaining orange zest and stir until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining orange zest and, if desired, decorate with edible flowers and some pumpkin seeds.