Carrot Cake

Not a dish for everyday but we have reduced the calories in this cake by cutting back on the sugar and oil, so you can have your cake and eat it - occasionally at least! Adding yoghurt helps keep the cake moist. If you like, you could replace the sugar with xylitol (a natural alternative to sugar) to reduce the calories still further. Icing is optional but if you do add icing, keep the cake in the fridge, as there isn't high enough sugar content to preserve the dairy safely.

Carrot Cake

Info

Serves
Makes 8 slices
Prep time
20 minutes
Cooking time
about 45 minutes
Calories
392 per serving

Ingredients

For the cake

  • Butter for greasing
  • 200g wholemeal flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • 100g light soft brown sugar
  • 50ml maple syrup
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 3 eggs
  • 75ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
  • 50g plain yoghurt
  • 50g walnuts or pecans, chopped
  • 200g carrots, grated
  • 150g raisins

Icing (optional)

  • 50g quark
  • 50g cream cheese
  • 25g think plain yoghurt
  • 25g icing sugar
  • a few drops of vanilla extract

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c/Fan 160c / Gas 4

    Butter a 20cm round cake tin and line it with baking parchment.

  2. Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb, and cardamom with a generous pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, maple syrup, orange zest, eggs and oil until well combined. Fold in the flour mixture followed by the yoghurt to make a smooth batter, then stir in the nuts, grated carrot and raisins.

  3. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until well risen, springy to the touch and slightly shrunken away from the sides. Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cooling rack.

  4. To make the icing, if using, beat together all the ingredients until thick and smooth. When the cake is completely cool, spread the icing over the top with a palette knife. If not serving immediately, store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge.