It was my wonderful Mum’s 60th last week and we whisked her off to a cottage in Oxford for a surprise family weekend away…lots of food was consumed, in particular my Mum’s favourite – carrot cake – which was the birthday cake I made for her. So, here’s how it’s done…

Carrot Cake – makes 450g / 1lb loaf

75g Carrots (approx one medium sized)
110g Plain Flour
½ level tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
½ level tsp Ground Cinnamon
75ml Groundnut Oil
75g Soft Brown Sugar
1 Large Egg (lightly beaten)

Frosting
100g White Chocolate
140g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
140g Icing Sugar

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 2 / 150oC. Brush the loaf tin with some melted butter and line with greaseproof paper.

Grate carrots into a mixing bowl and sift all the dry ingredients over the top, mix well to cover carrots in flour, etc. Add all the other ingredients and stir well until completely mixed. Scrape mixture into loaf tin and bake in centre / top of oven for an hour or until well risen and golden.

To make the topping, melt the white chocolate in the microwave for a short time on a low setting (e.g. 450w for 4mins). Beat the butter and sugar together until you have a creamy consistency. Once the chocolate is cooled enough beat it into the rest of the mixture.

Once you have removed the cake from the oven, leave to cool for 5mins before taking off the paper. When the cake has cooled for 45mins you can spread the topping. Store in an airtight container.

Alternative topping:
50g Soft Cream Cheese
25g Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
25g Icing Sugar (sieved)
Combine all ingredients and mix together until smooth, spread thickly over the cake once cooled.