Briony's Spiced Carrot Cake

Many people will recognise Briony from The Great British Bake Off, where she reached the semi-final and quickly became a fan favourite thanks to her creative bakes and warm personality. Since her appearance on the show, Briony has continued to share her passion for baking through television, writing and recipe development.

This time she brings us a wonderfully spiced carrot cake, packed with nuts, raisins and warming spices. Finished with a beautifully smooth orange-spiced buttercream, it’s the perfect centrepiece for a celebration or simply a treat to enjoy with a cup of tea.

Ingredients

Cake

• 320g carrots, grated

• 70g walnuts, chopped

• 30g pistachios, chopped

• 100g raisins

• 300g plain flour

• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp allspice

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp salt

• 300ml vegetable oil

• 5 medium eggs

• 1 tsp orange zest

• Juice of half an orange

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 200g golden caster sugar

• 200g light brown sugar

Icing

• 250g unsalted butter, softened

• 500g icing sugar

• 1.5 tsp orange extract

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp allspice

• ¼ tsp ground ginger

• Splash of milk

Decoration

• 8 walnut halves

• 1 tsp orange zest

• 2 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line three 6-inch cake tins.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract and both sugars until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and salt.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the grated carrots, walnuts, pistachios and raisins.

5. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake tins.

6. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely.