The Best Carrot Cake....ever!

I have loved carrot cake ever since I arrived in America. It started with Publix bought cakes ( which pale in to insignificance against this one) and developed in to a little project to develop a deliciously moist carrot cake of my own. I am a lazy frosting maker so I have used a shop bought one here..next project, find a lovely frosting to go inside and on top. This is a big cake...make sure you have guests coming else you will feel decidedly sick because you wont be able to resist it!

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz) carrots, peeled and grated
• 200 g (7 oz) self-raising flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 175 g ( 6oz)  dark brown soft sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) sunflower oil
• grated zest 1 orange
• 100 g (1/2 cup) sultanas
• 50 g (1/4 cup) desiccated coconut
• 50 g (1/4 cup) pecan nuts toasted & chopped

For the syrup glaze & icing:

• Juice 1 small orange
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 oz (75 g) dark brown soft sugar
• 1 Betty Crocker Vanilla Butter Icing or make your own!

2x 8 inch cake tins –lined with baking parchments

1. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 F)
2. Combine the oil, eggs and sugar and whisk until sugar dissolved.
3. Sift the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon and stir in
4. Add all the other ingredients and combine
5. Pour equal amounts into each cake tin and put in the oven for about 30 mins…you are looking for a springy but firm feeling…put a skewer in to check cooked through.
6. Melt the sugar and juices together, pierce each of the cakes with a skewer, and pour the syrup over.
7. Leave to cool (I leave in the fridge overnight) Then sandwich the cakes together with half the icing and cover the top with the rest.
8. You can toast some coconut for the top for decoration….delicious…..!!!!