Cakes Recipes - Passion Cake

Ingredients

• 200g self raising flour

• 10ml baking powder

• 5ml cinnamon

• 2.5ml freshly grated nutmeg

• 150g butter, softened, or sunflower margarine

• 150g soft brown sugar grated rind of 1 lemon

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 2 carrots, coarsely grated

• 1 ripe banana, mashed

• 115g raisins

• 50g chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

• 30ml milk

• 6-8 walnuts, halved, to decorate

• coffee crystal sugar, to decorate

For the frosting

• 200g cream cheese, softened

• 30g icing sugar

• juice of 1 lemon

• grated rind of 1 orange

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Method:

1. Line and grease a deep 20cm/8in round cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180 'C/350 'F /Gas 4. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a bowl. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with the lemon rind until it is light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour mixture, then the carrots, banana, raisins, chopped nuts and milk.

2. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin, level the top and bake for about 1 hour, until risen and the top is springy to touch. Turn the tin upside-down and allow the cake to cool in the tin for 30 minutes. Then turn out on to a wire rack. When cold, split the cake in half.

3. Cream the cheese with the icing sugar, lemon juice and orange rind, then sandwich the two halves of the cake together with half of the frosting. Spread the rest of the frosting on top and decorate with walnut halves and sugar.