Carrot cake

This carrot cake was such a success! It was so moreish and moist, everyone loved it. It is great with or without an icing, I prefer it without but some people can't resist a nice bit of sweet icing to top a cake - and there's nothing wrong with that at all!

The one thing to watch out for with this cake is the cooking - when it has started to brown and has come away from the edges it will probably still sink, so leave it in for another 5-10 minutes. It'll be fine so long as it doesn't start to burn.

175g light brown soft sugar
175ml rapeseed oil
3 large eggs
3 carrots, grated
50g raisins
50g walnuts
zest of 1 orange
175g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4/350F
Line a 18cm square tin or a 20cm round tin with greaseproof paper.

1, Whisk the eggs, then mix in the sugar and rapeseed oil.
2, To this mixture, add the carrots, raisins, walnuts and orange zest.
3, In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4 Gently stir the flour into the wet ingredients - it will be more runny than a normal cake mixture.
5, Pour the cake mix into the prepared tin and bake for about an hour - but check it after 45 mins in case your oven is fast. It'll rise quite a lot, so be prepared to leave it longer than you first think because it will sink if you take it out too soon.
6, Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Cut up and enjoy!

Pictured: my lovely sister, who made this one :)