This is very straightforward and easy to make and tastes just as good as the complicated versions. It can be made plain, or pineapple and nuts may be added.

Ingredients

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

100g soft brown sugar

2 eggs

125 ml oil (vegetable or sunflower types, not olive oil)

1/2 zest of one lemon and 1/2 zest of one orange ( or just use one orange OR lemon)

100g carrots, finely grated

75g chopped walnuts if desired

110 g pineapple pieces, drained and finely chopped, if desired

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

60g butter at room temperature

25g icing sugar

125g cream cheese (like Philadelphia)

How to make it

Heat the oven to 150C / 130 C fan oven / Gas Mark 2. Line a cake tin about 20cm across or aBOUT 7″ square.

1. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together and stir in the sugar.

2. Beat the eggs together with the oil and citrus zest.

3. Stir the carrots into the oil mixture.

4. Stir the carrot and oil mixture into the flour mixture and combine as evenly as possible.

5. Fold in the nuts and pineapple if used.

6. Spoon the mixture into the tin, level out the surface and bake for about 1 hour – 1 hr 20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin.

To make the icing.

1. Beat together butter and icing sugar until soft.

2. Beat in the cream cheese.

3. If you have time chill the mixture in the fridge until it’s thick and spreadable, and then spread a thick layer on top of the cake.  If you are in a hurry you can just spread the icing straight on top of the cake, but it might be a little runny.

Tags: baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, butter, cake, carrot cake, carrots, cinnamon, cream cheese, eggs, icing sugar, lemon, orange, pineapple, plain flour, soft brown sugar, sunflower oil, wallnuts
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This recipe is ideal for making cut-out biscuits to ice for Christmas or parties but are just as nice eaten plain.

Ingredients

85g soft butter, unsalted is best but not essential

100g caster sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

200g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

How to make them

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.

2. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence.

3. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix together gently.

5. If you’ve got time, wrap the dough in clingfilm and flatten a bit, and put in fridge for about an hour to   make it easier to handle. If you can’t wait and want to make the biscuits straight away, you may need to use some flour as you roll them out to prevent sticking.

6. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan oven / Gas Mark 4

7. Sprinkle flour on the work top and roll out the dough to about 5mm thick. Then cut the dough into shapes, keeping the blade of the cutter dusted with flour to prevent sticking.

8. Place on lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 – 10 mins until they are slightly golden around the edges. Cool on rack. Then ice if required using glace icing.

This recipe makes about 20 large biscuits. It is easy to double the quantity and make lots of small biscuits!

Tags: baking powder, butter, caster sugar, eggs, plain flour, salt, vanilla essence
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