The ultimate carrot cake

I know what you're thinking: carrot cake is so boring and so DONE already. Pass me another blog.
I don't care. It might be uncool and deeply suburban these days, but good carrot cake is my all-time favourite. And since it's my birthday, I get to choose. Ok, yes, there will be a ballerina on it. No, mummy doesn't want pink icing. But thanks for asking.

The ultimate carrot cake
I have no time for those carrot cakes that have just a hint of carrot in them. I like mine to be loaded with carrot, walnuts and nuggets of fruit. Cream cheese icing is a must.

3 eggs
175ml oil
300g brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
60ml (1/4 cup) sour cream
200g wholemeal flour
60g rye flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
300g carrot, grated
50g desiccated coconut
150g dried fruit - crystallized ginger, dates and papaya, chopped
100g walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 160c and grease and line a 23cm tin. Put the eggs, oil, sugar, sour cream and vanilla in a large bowl and beat well (I do this in my freestanding mixer). Sift in the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine, then fold in the carrot, coconut, dried fruit and walnuts. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 80-90 minutes, or until a skewer plunged into the cake comes out cleanly. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Ginger cream cheese icing
This is the latest version of my favourite caramel cream cheese icing. Beat 100g of soft butter with 3Tbsp soft brown sugar and 4Tbsp lemon and honey syrup (my favourite is this one), along with a pinch of ground ginger. Beat in 200g room temperature cream cheese and dollop over the cake.

Have a great weekend everyone x