Dairy free – uses oil but no butter

Gluten free option if Gluten free flour is used – still works well

This recipe originates from the BBC Good Food series with one earth shattering difference. The secret is that all the ingredients are just added to a bowl with one final mix with a fork before tipping your aggregate into a loaf tin ready for the oven. No separate creaming, mixing, beating or swearing – just add ingredients from the list in any order to a bowl!

The cake

• 175g muscovado sugar – light or dark all work, dark brown sugar gives a lovely treacle taste
• 175ml sunflower oil
• 3 large eggs
• 140g grated carrots
• 100g raisins
• grated zest of a large orange
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg

The Icing

I think this is essential to the success of this cake. (However, we eat this one in the photo before giving it a chance to be iced).

• Juice from half an orange, the one used for zesting
• Zest from a complete orange
• Icing sugar

Method

• Add all cake ingredients to a bowl and mix with a fork. This does not sound promising, I know. Rest assured, it’s a piece of cake!
• Pour your concrete substitute into a loaf tin lined with baking parchment
• Bake at 180°C for 40-45mins
• Cool on a rack. Make icing by adding icing sugar to juice and zest, beating with a knife. Keep adding sugar until the mixture stiffens. Spread on cake
• Eat and enjoy perfection.