Nigella's Ginger and Walnut Carrot Cake

Ingredients

·         200g plain flour

·         1 tsp baking powder

·         ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

·         2 tsp ground ginger

·         ¼ tsp fine sea salt

·         175g soft light brown sugar

·         2 large eggs, at room temperature

·         200ml vegetable oil, plus more for greasing

·         200g peeled and coarsely grated carrots

·         100g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled

·         75g crystallised ginger, finely chopped icing

·         100g unsalted butter, softened

·         100g icing sugar, sieved

·         1 tsp cornflour

·         100g full-fat cream cheese, fridge cold

·         1 tbsp coarsely grated fresh ginger garnish

·         25g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled

·         25g crystallised ginger, finely chopped

  Method

1.   Preheat oven to 150C fan forced. Grease the sides and line the base of a 20cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.

2.   Place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and salt into a bowl and use a fork to mix well.

3.   Beat the sugar, eggs and oil another large bowl until they are completely mixed together, then gradually add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl you’re beating them in to rescue and incorporate any flour clinging to the edges. At this stage, the mixture may seem alarmingly stiff, but the carrots will loosen up. Beat in the carrots then fold in the 100g prepared walnuts and 75g of the crystallised ginger, until everything is completely combined.

4.   Spoon and scrape into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake in the oven until for 45-55 minutes. The cake is ready when it is golden brown on top, beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin and a skewer comes out with just a few crumbs stuck to it. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in its tin.

5.   Meanwhile, for the Icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together in a mixing bowl until creamily combined. Beat in the cornflour, followed by half of the cream cheese. Once that’s incorporated, beat in the remaining half of the cream cheese, careful not to over beat.