Freezing: Cut the carrot cake into squares, wrap in clingfilm, then in foil and freeze for up to one month.
To use: Thaw at cool room temperature for 2 hours.
Preparation time: 15 min, plus cooling
Cooking time: 40 min
Cals per serving: 450
Makes: 12 squares
Ingredients:
- Butter for greasing
- 9 fl oz sunflower oil
- 8 oz caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 8 oz self-raising flour, sifted
- pinch of salt
- 9 oz carrots, grated
- 1 tsp orange flower water, optional
- for the icing
- 2 oz unsalted butter
- 200 g pack cream cheese
- 1 1/2 oz icing sugar, sifted
- 2 oranges, rind finely grated
- 2 tbsp orange juice
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan oven/Gas Mark 4. Grease and baseline an 18 x 28 cm (7 x 11 in), 2.5 cm (1 in) deep, tin.Whisk the oil and sugar together, then whisk in the eggs one at a time. Gently fold the flour and salt, into the mixture, then fold in the carrots and orange flower water.
2. Pour into the tin and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
3. For the icing, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the icing sugar, half the orange rind and juice. When the cake is cold, remove the lining paper, cover with a 5 mm (1/4 in) layer of icing and decorate with the remaining orange rind. Cut into 12 squares to serve.
