Nici Wickes: Scrumptious Carrot Cake

If it’s possible to have a ‘rustic’ cake then carrot cake wins. With its wholemeal flour and vegetables (and I even cram in some seeds) a carrot cake is as robust as it is delicious. This one is light and airy and huge so tuck in! 
 Makes one 24x24cm cake
 4 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
½ cup loosely packed brown sugar
1 ¼ cups neutral tasting oil (i used sunflower)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups high grade flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
3 cups grated carrots
½ cup pumpkin & sunflower seeds
½ cup toasted & chopped walnuts to garnish
 

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line a 24cm square tin with baking paper.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Add oil and beat again until well blended. Add sifted dry ingredients - flours, spices, baking soda and baking powder – and mix thoroughly but with a light hand. Fold in carrots and seeds.
Pour into prepared tin.
Bake for one hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin until warm before turning out onto a wire rack.
Ice with cream cheese icing once completely cooled and shower with toasted walnuts.

 Nici’s note: Using some wholemeal flour and adding pumpkin and sunflower seeds adds texture to this beautiful cake.
 Cream cheese icing
200g cream cheese, room temperature
30g butter, softened 
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
 
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.