Carrot Cake!

Serves: 12

Preparation time: 1 hr

Cooking time: 35 min

Cake ingredients:

* 200 g of butter at room temperature

* 1 cup of brown sugar

* 4 eggs

* 2 cups of self rising flour sifted

* 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

* 15 ml of milk

* 1 tsp of vanilla

* 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp of ground sea salt

* 2 cups of grated carrot

* zest of 1 orange

* 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Cooking utensils:

* Stand mixer

* Cake tin (23 x 7 cm) greased with butter, lightly covered with flour

Icing ingredients:

* 25 g of butter

* 250 g of cream cheese

* 3/4 cup of icing sugar sifted

* 1 tsp of vanilla

* 1 tsp of 100% pure maple syrup

* 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts to decorate

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven at 180C

2. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a bowl over a saucepan at low heat with hot water

3. Set the stand mixer at low speed

4. Add the butter, followed by the sugar and the eggs (one egg at a time)

5. Combine the flour and the baking powder and gradually add it to the mix with a spoon

6. Add the milk, cinnamon, vanilla and salt and keep mixing until smooth

7. Incorporate the carrots, orange zest and walnuts

8. Pour cake mix in the cake tin and bake for 30 min. Test with a cake tester or a wooden skewer. If the skewer doesn't come out clean, bake for 5 more minutes until the skewer comes out clean

9. Remove cake tin from the oven and let it cool down, remove cake from tin

Icing preparation and cake decoration:

10. In a bowl blend butter with the cream cheese, add the icing sugar, vanilla and maple syrup until smooth

11. Once the cake has cooled down, decorate with the icing and sprinkle the chopped walnuts

12. Refrigerate the carrot cake for at least 2 hours or overnight