I make spiced carrot cake with a simple recipe – two ingredients make it so moist

Nothing satisfies afternoon cravings quite like homemade cake and a cup of tea, but for those who crave carrot cake, making the sponge can present various hurdles. From an undercooked or overcooked sponge to an ambitious baking time that never seems sufficient. Carrot cake is among the trickiest to perfect, and I'm certain I'm not alone in confessing that I've struggled to get it right.

That was until I tried a recipe by the renowned baker Jane Dunn. It's one that I've made several times since and has become my go-to showstopper for family birthdays or dinner with friends. The recipe, as shared by Jane's Patisserie, is foolproof even for the most novice bakers, with no extra steps like wringing out excess moisture from the carrots.

Jane's recipe boasts a straightforward ingredients list, opting for oil instead of butter for moist results.

But I'm convinced there's something else about this recipe that makes it so scrumptious and, crucially, never dry.

The inclusion of orange zest is a game-changer for this recipe. The robust, zesty flavour and natural oils from the peel shine through in the final cake. I also swapped out ground ginger for some grated root ginger, which had a subtle but similar effect to the orange.

To create my carrot cake, I meticulously followed Jane's recipe the first time, resulting in a stunning sandwich cake with cream cheese frosting. However, I deviated slightly in my recent baking attempts to whip up two single-layer cakes - one eight-inch sponge and a smaller, four-inch sponge - baked in springform tins for easy removal of the moist sponges once cooked.

The combination of spices, orange, and fresh ginger, along with the sunflower oil, makes the cake rich and delicious. As for the texture, the batter is always thick and moist without being watery.

While this cake is incredibly simple to make, I suggest baking it for a longer period than Jane suggests to ensure it is perfectly cooked.

Carrot cake recipe

Ingredients

• 225 ml sunflower oil
• Five medium eggs
• 275g light brown sugar (I used less, around 200g)
• 300g grated carrots
• 100g raisins optional
• Zest one orange
• 275g self-raising flour
• 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Two tsp mixed spice
• One tsp ground ginger (or fresh grated ginger)
• One tsp ground cinnamon

I opted for a dairy-free cream cheese frosting recipe that's a little lighter and cheaper to make than Jane's vanilla buttercream. For this, you will need:

• 125g Flora Buttery (or 125g unsalted dairy butter)
• 250g icing sugar, sieved
• One tsp vanilla extract
• One tbsp of dairy-free yoghurt (I used soya yoghurt, but you can use dairy milk)

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan. Then, grease two eight-inch cake tins and line them with baking paper.

Alternatively, you can do this with a smaller four-inch cake and a six-inch cake, which can be enjoyed separately as single-layer cakes.

Now peel and grate your carrots onto a large plate or in a dish with a flat base for convenience. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sunflower oil and eggs, then add the light brown sugar, using less than the recipe states (I opted for around 1800-200g).

Stir in the sugar, then add the grated carrots and raisins - I always include these, but never the nuts. Now add the orange zest and fold through to combine.

Add the self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice, ginger, and cinnamon and mix again, taking care not to overmix - this is crucial.

Once combined, fold through the nuts (if using) and pour the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake the cakes for approximately 40 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Before removing them from the oven, test with a skewer to see if the middle comes out clean.

Always allow the cakes to cool fully before removing them from the tin. If, like me, you're fond of Bundt cakes, you can create your own by hollowing out the core of the smaller sponge using a small glass or mug.

For the icing, mix the softened butter with the icing sugar until it's pale and thick, then stir in the vanilla extract. If it's too thick, add a bit of yoghurt or milk to thin it out, then spread it onto the cooled cakes.

This will provide enough to fill the middle and top of a sandwich cake or cover two single-layer cakes.

Finish off with some additional orange zest, or opt for lemon or lime if you fancy a more tangy, zesty taste. Small carrot decorations also make a lovely final touch.