Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 320⁰F (160⁰C).
2. Line a 20 cm round, ring, square, or heart-shaped tin with baking paper.
3. If your tin isn’t non-stick, lightly grease it first so nothing sticks later.
4. Finely grate the 2 1/2 cups carrot. Don’t squeeze out the moisture; that’s what keeps the cake soft, but avoid huge chunky pieces.
5. Sift 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon into a large bowl.
6. Stir in 1 cup of caster sugar and mix to combine.
7. In a separate bowl, beat 2 eggs and 1/2 cup canola oil together until slightly thickened and well blended.
8. Pour the egg and oil mixture into the dry ingredients.
9. Add the 2 1/2 cups of grated carrots.
10. Stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix; stop as soon as you don’t see dry flour. The batter will look thick; that’s what you should aim for.
11. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and smooth the top lightly. Tap the tin once or twice on the counter to release any large air bubbles.
12. Let the batter stand in the tin for 5 minutes before baking. This helps the texture settle.
13. Bake at 320⁰F (160⁰C) for 35 to 40 minutes.
14. Start checking at 35 minutes. The cake should spring back when lightly touched in the center, and a skewer inserted should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
15. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the last 10 minutes.
16. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then carefully turn it out onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Lime Icing

1. Make sure the 60 g butter and 150 g cream cheese are both properly softened.
2. Place the 60 g butter, 150 g cream cheese, 2 tsp lime juice (or 1/4 tsp vanilla essence), and 1 cup sifted icing sugar into a food processor. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. If you don’t have a food processor, beat with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
4. Spread over the completely cooled cake.
5. Swirl it casually with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if you like a little crunch.