Ingredients

• 2 large free-range eggs
• beaten
• 240g/9oz soft light brown sugar
• 200ml/7fl oz vegetable oil
• plus extra for greasing
• 250g/8oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 325g/11½oz carrots
• peeled and coarsely grated (you’ll need 275g/8oz prepared carrot)
• 75g/2½oz walnut halves
• roughly chopped
• ½ tsp flaked sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 227g/8oz can pineapple slices in juice
• drained and roughly chopped
• 300g/10½oz full-fat soft cheese
• 100g/3½oz mascarpone cheese
• 100ml/3½fl oz soured cream
• 100g/3½oz very soft butter
• 65g/2¼oz icing sugar
• sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 unwaxed lemons
• finely grated zest only

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line the base and sides of a 23cm/9in spring-form cake tin with baking paper and grease lightly.
• Beat the eggs and brown sugar in a food mixer until pale. Add the rest of the ingredients
• except the pineapple
• and beat together. Stir in the pineapple pieces.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 55–65 minutes
• or until well risen and fully cooked. A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes
• then turn onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
• Beat all the ingredients for the cheese frosting in a food mixer until smooth and thick. Spread over the top and sides of the cake using a spatula. Store the cake in the fridge.