British carrots are wonderfully in season now, and we should be making the most of them. Why not try them in our Very Best Carrot Cake, using British Carrots from Becketts Farm Greengrocers.

Ingredients

175g Light Muscovado Sugar
175ml Sunflower Oil
3 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
140g Grated Carrot (about 3 medium from Becketts Farm Shop)
100g Raisins
Grated Zest of 1 Large Orange
175g Self-Raising Flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Grated Nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

For the frosting

175g Icing Sugar
11/2-2 tbsp Orange Juice

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
2. Tip 175g light muscovado sugar, 175ml sunflower oil and 3 large beaten eggs into a big mixing bowl. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in 140g grated carrots, 100g raisins and grated zest of 1 large orange.
3. Sift 175g self-raising flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg into the bowl. Mix everything together, the mixture will be soft and almost runny.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 mins or until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre.
5. Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.
6. Beat 175g icing sugar and 11/2 – 2 tbsp orange juice in a small bowl until smooth – you want the icing about as runny as single cream.
7. Put the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.