Luxury carrot cake

Do Icing First

1. Beat the philadelphia cheese and butter together.

2. Slowly add the icing sugar in batches, beating each time until a smoothish paste.

Try not to cover any pets in vicinity in icing sugar!!

3. That's you icing done - put into fridge and have a cuppa to recover from all that beating.


SWITCH YOUR OVEN ON NOW 150C (300F/Gas 2); or 140C if a Fan Oven, like mine.

Line a 21cm (8 1/4 inch) baking tin with baking/greaseproof paper.

Do The Cake

Get out your electric beater of choice - mine's a good old Kenwood. I could have used it for the icing but the washing up inbetween is a chew on!

1. Whisk the eggs at high speed until doubled in volume.

2. Add the soft brown sugar and whisk away until fluffy and light in colour.

3. With whisk on, slowly dribble in the oil, and let it whisk until mixture thickens. You will know it is ready when you can hold the shape of a trail on the surface.

4. Get out your biggest metallic spoon and carefully fold in the carrot, walnut, pineapple, and coconut in a figure of 8 motion.

5. Sift in the plain flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda and salt and fold in gently.

6. Carefully get the mixture into the cake tin. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Mine took an hour and 5min and it was baked perfectly.

7. Take out of oven and allow to cool for 15min before turning out onto a wire rack.

8. When completely cold slice the cake in half horizontally.

9. Get your icing out the fridge. Give it a couple of minutes to 'warm' so it is easier to spread. Spread a third of the mixture over the bottom half. Put the top back on and cover the top with the remainder.

10. Cut yourself a thick wedge, make a cuppa, and taste carrot cake heaven. You are allowed to feel smug - you have just easily made the Rolls Royce of carrot cakes.