Christmas Carrot Cake

Cooking Time

Ingredients

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Ingredients CAKE

  • g Country Range Butter
  • g light brown Muscavado sugar
  •   4 large eggs
  •   2 whole oranges, finely blitzes in a food processor and passed through a sieve (save a little aside for the icing)
  • g Country Range Self Raising Flour
  •   2 tsp Country Range Bicarbonate of Soda
  •   2 tsp Country Range Ground Cinnamon
  •   0.5 tsp Country Range Ground Nutmeg
  •   2 tsp Country Range Ground Ginger
  •   1 tsp Country Range Ground Cloves
  •   0.5 tsp salt
  •   11 oz grated carrots
  • g Country Range Chopped Dates
  • g Country Range Sultanas
  • g Country Range Chopped Pecan Nuts
  •   1 tsp orange oil

GLAZE

  •   1 orange (juice of)
  •   2 oz granulated sugar

ICING

  • g Country Range Butter
  • g icing sugar
  •   4 tblsp double cream
  •   1 orange, blitzed
  •   pecan nuts, to decorate

Method

  • 1

    Step 1

    Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4.
  • 2

    Step 2

    Grease and line the base of your cake tin.
  • 3

    Step 3

    For the cake, melt the butter in a saucepan then whisk in the sugar, eggs and orange oil until smooth and well combined.
  • 4

    Step 4

    Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground spices into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt. Fold the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in the carrots, sultanas, pecans, orange zest and juice.
  • 5

    Step 5

    Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
  • 6

    Step 6

    Leave to rest in the tin for a little while before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • 7

    Step 7

    For the glaze, put the orange juice and sugar in a saucepan and cook until reduced to a sticky glaze. Brush the top of the cake with the glaze while it is still warm.
  • 8

    Step 8

    For the icing, slowly beat the butter and icing sugar together using a spatula and bowl or an electric mixer. When combined, add the orange oil. Continue to mix for until light and fluffy.
  • 9

    Step 9

    Set aside a quarter of the icing, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle. Cut the cooled cake in half horizontally and spread a third of the plain icing on the bottom layer, then replace the top. Neatly cover the top and sides of the cake with icing.
  • 10

    Step 10

    Finally decorate the outside of the cake with the pecan halves, using a little extra icing to hold them in place if necessary.

Ingredients

  • 200 g Country Range Butter
  • 280 g light brown Muscavado sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 whole oranges, finely blitzes in a food processor and passed through a sieve (save a little aside for the icing)
  • 320 g Country Range Self Raising Flour
  • 2 tsp Country Range Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 2 tsp Country Range Ground Cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp Country Range Ground Nutmeg
  • 2 tsp Country Range Ground Ginger
  • 1 tsp Country Range Ground Cloves
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 11 oz grated carrots
  • 90 g Country Range Chopped Dates
  • 90 g Country Range Sultanas
  • 170 g Country Range Chopped Pecan Nuts
  • 1 tsp orange oil
  • 1 orange (juice of)
  • 2 oz granulated sugar
  • 100 g Country Range Butter
  • 250 g icing sugar
  • 4 tblsp double cream
  • 1 orange, blitzed
  • pecan nuts, to decorate