The best carrot cake

Name: The best carrot cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 50 g walnut halves; 50 g pistachio kernels; 250 ml vegetable oil, plus a little for greasing; 200 g light brown soft sugar; 175 g caster sugar; 1 tsp table salt; 4 large free range eggs; 225 g plain flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tbsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger; ¼ tsp ground cloves; 1 orange, scrubbed, zest; 325 g Waitrose Duchy Organic Carrots, scrubbed then grated; 25 g pistachio kernels, finely chopped, to decorate; 1 orange, scrubbed, to decorate

Choose the best quality carrots you can find for Martha Collison's bake. The flavour they impart, especially when combined with warming spices and toasted nuts, is mellow and sweet.

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Serves10
CourseCake
Prepare30 mins
Cook45 mins
Total time1 hr 15 mins
Pluscooling

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50g walnut halves
50g pistachio kernels
250ml vegetable oil, plus a little for greasing
200g light brown soft sugar
175g caster sugar
1 tsp table salt
4 large free range eggs
225g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 orange, scrubbed, zest
325g Waitrose Duchy Organic Carrots, scrubbed then grated
25g pistachio kernels, finely chopped, to decorate
1 orange, scrubbed, to decorate

For the frosting

160g butter, softened
320g icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
½ tbsp lemon juice
160g Waitrose Duchy Organic Soft Cheese, cold

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins. Line the sides and bases with baking parchment, leaving 1-2cm parchment standing proud of each tin.
Tip the walnuts onto a baking tray and bake for 5-6 minutes, until gently toasted. Allow to cool completely, then combine with the pistachios and roughly chop the nuts together.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, soft sugar, caster sugar, salt and eggs until smooth and combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then add the orange zest. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Add the carrots, stir until evenly distributed, then fold through the chopped nuts.
Divide the batter equally between the prepared tins. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the cream cheese frosting, beat the butter in a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes more until fluffy, then add the vanilla paste and lemon juice. Mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl often.
Drain any liquid from the soft cheese tub before weighing, then add the cheese to the bowl, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well to combine after each addition. Mix until just combined – overdoing it will make the icing runny and difficult to spread.
Remove the baking parchment, then put one of the sponges onto a serving plate. Spread with half the frosting and sandwich with the other cake. Swirl the remaining frosting over the top, then decorate with chopped pistachios. Using a zesting tool, create curls of orange zest and scatter them over the top. This cake will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Cook’s tip

Runny frosting
The biggest issue you’re likely to run into with this recipe is a runny cream cheese frosting. Make sure the butter is soft and at room temperature so it combines easily, and the cream cheese is full fat and fridge-cold, with any excess liquid drained away. Don’t be tempted to overbeat it. As soon as the cream cheese is combined, stop mixing and store in the fridge until needed.

Skin-on carrots
For a textured cake like this, I don’t bother peeling the carrots. Give them a good scrub under running water, then grate. Extra fibre and less food waste – a win-win!

Other additions
Turn it into a Jamaican-inspired hummingbird cake by incorporating a 227g can of pineapple, drained and crushed with a fork, into the batter with the carrots. A generous handful of plump sultanas is also another delicious addition.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe