Ingredients

• 450ml/16fl oz vegetable oil
• 400g/14oz plain flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 550g/1lb 4oz sugar
• 5 free-range eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 525g/1lb 3oz carrots
• grated
• 150g/5½oz shelled walnuts
• chopped
• 200g/7oz cream cheese
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar
• 100g/3½oz butter
• softened

Directions

• For the carrot cake
• preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line a 26cm/10in springform cake tin.
• Mix all of the ingredients for the carrot cake
• except the carrots and walnuts
• together in a bowl until well combined. Stir in the carrots and walnuts.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes
• or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes
• then carefully remove the cake from the tin and set aside to cool completely on a cooling rack.
• Meanwhile
• for the icing
• beat the cream cheese
• caster sugar and butter together in a bowl until fluffy. Spread the icing over the top of the cake with a palette knife.