Carrot Loaf Cake

I don't usually make cakes, but I am cooking for my elderly mother who is recovering from a stay in hospital (not Covid) and not eating much.  She mentioned that she wasn't eating vegetable either right now so Carrot Cake came to mind as a high calorie (higher still if I'd had the ingredients for the topping when I made the ones above), fibre rich, snack.

Makes 2 1lb loaf cakes

225g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
150g light brown sugar
50g walnut pieces, chopped
100g carrots, coarsely grated
50g mixed dried fruit
2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
150ml sunflower oil

Topping
250g (9 oz) tub mascarpone cheese or soft cheese
2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
about 25g (1 oz) walnut pieces, chopped

Preheat oven to 180C.

Add all the cake ingredients to a food processor, apart from the carrots and dried fruit.

Mix the cake ingredients thoroughly until well incorporated.  Stir in carrots and dried fruit with a spatula and then divide equally between two loaf tins, lined with loaf tin liners.

Bake at 180C for 50-60 minutes, or until clean skewer comes out clean when pushed into the centre of the cake.

While the cake is cooling mix the cheese, vanilla extract and the sieved icing sugar together in a small bowl. When the cake is cool to the touch,  spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake and scatter the chopped walnuts on top. Store in the refrigerator if iced.

Twitter: leesashomemade

Instagram: leesashomemade

Facebook: Leesa's Homemade