Ingredients:
- 155g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 230g soft light brown sugar
- 3 free-range eggs
- 230g self-raising plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g sultanas or raisins
- 260g carrots, peeled and grated
- 100g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate
For the icing:
- 110g softened unsalted butter
- 300g full-fat cream cheese
- 500g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line the bases of 2 x 18cm sandwich tins.
Put the melted butter, sugar and eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk well until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture has almost doubled in volume.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices and then fold very gently into the liquid mixture, being careful to knock as little air out as possible. Fold in the remaining ingredients and divide between the tins. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or so until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tins.
Meanwhile, beat together the butter and cream cheese until very soft and thoroughly combined, and then add the vanilla and maple extracts and the maple syrup and mix until combined. Add the sifted icing sugar; you may need to add a little more to get to the right spreading consistency, and then refrigerate. When the cakes are cool enough to ice, remove from the tins, top one with half the icing, and then the other cake. Ice the top and sides, and decorate with the remaining pecans and maybe some candied orange peel.
