Carrot, Orange & Cardamom Cake or Traybake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A warmly spiced carrot, orange and cardamom traybake with a tangy cream cheese frosting. A practical way to use up carrots, an orange and baking-cupboard staples.

Ingredients

For the cake (12 squares): 250g (9oz) carrots, grated; 200g (7oz) plain flour; 150g (5¼oz) light brown sugar; 150ml (⅔ US cup) neutral oil; 3 medium eggs; 2 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; seeds of 6 cardamom pods, finely crushed (or ¾ tsp ground cardamom); zest of 1 orange; 2 tbsp orange juice; pinch of salt. Optional: 75g (2⅔oz) chopped walnuts or raisins.

For the frosting: 200g (7oz) full-fat cream cheese, chilled; 60g (2oz) unsalted butter, softened; 80g (2¾oz) icing sugar, sifted; finely grated zest of ½ orange.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F. Line a 9½-inch (24cm) round springform tin or an 11 × 7-inch (28 × 18cm) traybake tin.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and oil until combined. Stir in the orange zest and juice.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Fold into the wet mixture, then add the grated carrots and any optional nuts or raisins.
4. Spread into the tin. Bake for approximately 35–40 minutes in the 9½-inch round tin (the 11 × 7-inch tray may bake faster; start checking at 25–30 minutes), until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool completely.
5. Beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Briefly beat in the cold cream cheese and orange zest, just until combined. Spread over the cooled cake and cut into 12 squares.

Before you shop

Check for carrots, an orange, eggs, flour and warm spices before buying anything. Use walnuts or raisins only if you already have them. The cake can be made without frosting if cream cheese isn’t in the fridge.

How I like to serve it: I often keep the cream cheese frosting separately in the fridge and add a generous spoonful to each slice just before serving, with a little freshly grated orange zest over the top. That way, the rest of the cake doesn’t have to be frosted all at once. For a special occasion, though, you can spread the frosting over the whole cake in one generous layer and finish with orange zest. Keep any unused cream cheese frosting covered in the fridge, and refrigerate the cake once frosted. Bring individual slices out shortly before serving.

Note: US cup quantities for dry ingredients have not yet been individually tested.