Sugar-free spiced carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting Recipe

Sugar-free spiced carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting Recipe

  • 150g/5½oz self-raising flour
  • 100g/3½oz ground almonds
  • 50g/1¾oz raisins
  • 50g/1¾oz walnut halves, roughly broken
  • 4 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 large free-range eggs
  • 100ml/3½fl oz sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 3 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
  • 300g/10½oz carrots, coarsely grated
  • 150g/5½oz full-fat soft cheese
  • 1 medium orange, finely grated zest only
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 20cm/8in springform cake tin with baking parchment.
  2. Put the flour, almonds, raisins, walnuts, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Make a well in the centre.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and milk together and stir in the grated carrot. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring to form a thick batter.
  4. Pour into the prepared tin and spread to the sides. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour, or until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
  5. Take the cake out of the tin and peel off the lining paper. Put the cake on a board or plate.
  6. To make the frosting, stir the cheese and orange zest together. Spread evenly over the cake.
  7. Cut into small wedges to serve.