225g (8oz) self-raising flour, sifted with a pinch of salt
250g (9oz) carrots, coarsely grated
1tsp. orange flower water, optional
50g (2oz) butter, preferably unsalted
200g (7oz) cream cheese
40g (1 ½oz) organic icing sugar, sifted
Grated rind of 1 orange and 2tbsp juice
Zest of 1 orange to decorate
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) mark 4. Grease and baseline an 18x28cm (7x11in) by 2.5cm (1in) deep tin. Whisk the oil and sugar together, then whisk in the eggs one at a time. Gently fold the flour into the mixture, followed by the carrots and orange flower water.
Step 2
Pour into the tin and bake for 40min or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 10min, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
Step 3
To make the icing, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the icing sugar, orange rind and juice. When the cake is cold, remove the lining paper, cover with a 5mm (1⁄4in) layer of icing and decorate with orange zest. Cut into 12 squares to serve.
To freeze.
Cut the carrot cake into squares, wrap in clingfilm, then in foil and freeze for up to one month.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
