Carrot Cake Traybake for work colleagues

 

Ingredients

• soft butter, for greasing
• 200ml vegetable oil
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• zest of ½ orange
• 200g peeled and coarsely grated carrots (roughly 3 medium carrots)

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 100g soft butter
• zest of 1 orange
• 300g icing sugar
• 125g cold full-fat soft cheese

Step by step

GET AHEAD

Freeze the cooled, un-iced cake. Wrap well in clingfilm, then defrost fully before decorating.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Grease a 20cm x 30cm x 5cm deep baking tin with butter and line with baking paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk the oil, muscovado sugar and eggs together until smooth and there are no lumps of sugar. Sift over the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon and ground cloves and add the orange zest and a pinch of salt. Whisk until evenly combined, then fold through the carrots. Pour into the prepared tray and smooth into the corners.
3. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 35-45 minutes until golden, risen and a cocktail stick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. To make the frosting, beat the butter and half the orange zest using an electric whisk until soft and creamy. Sift over the icing sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes until evenly combined and it has the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Beat in the cold soft cheese for 3-4 minutes until fully incorporated and light and fluffy.
5. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and sprinkle over the remaining orange zest to serve.

https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/baking/carrot-cake-traybake