Ashburton carrot cake

You will need two 23cm sandwich tins, greased and lined with a disc of baking parchment.

You will need two 23cm sandwich tins, greased and lined with a disc of baking parchment.

Serves 8

200g self-raising flour

300g granulated sugar

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1 tsp baking powder

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

175ml sunflower oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g raw carrots, grated

100g chopped walnuts

60g desiccated coconut

220g can pineapple slices, drained, chopped, and dried thoroughly

For the icing

200g full-fat cream cheese

100g butter, softened

200g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon and stir together.

Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Fold in the carrots, walnuts, coconut, and pineapple and beat until smooth.

Spoon evenly into the sandwich tins and bake for 45–50 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. To check that the cakes are cooked in the middle, insert a skewer into the centre – if it comes out clean, they are done. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To make the icing, put the cream cheese and butter into a bowl, sift in the icing sugar, add the vanilla extract, and whisk with an electric whisk until smooth.

Remove the cakes from the tins and peel off the baking parchment. Turn one cake upside down on to a serving plate and spread with half the icing. Sit the other cake on top and spread the remaining icing over the top.

From Cook Up A Feast, by Mary Berry and Lucy Young, published by Dorling Kindersley (£20)