Olive Oil Carrot Loaf Cake

---

Olive Oil Carrot Loaf Cake

Sometimes I just want cake and my favourite has to be carrot cake.

I always like to try out different versions and this olive oil carrot cake is wonderfully rich and crumbly, packed with all kinds of dried fruits, nuts and warming spices plus the extra virgin olive oil really adds a depth of flavour to the proceedings.

It’s also one of those cakes that tastes completely different after a few days, if it lasts that long, but it somehow seems to intensify and become more complex in flavour.  Utterly glorious.

• 175g dark brown soft sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• 150g self-raising flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 150g carrots, peeled and finely grated
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 110g sultanas (or other mixed dry fruit)
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 50g chopped walnuts
• 50g toasted almond slivers

You will need

a 2lb loaf tin, greased and lined.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160ºC fan/350°F/Gas 4)

Place the sugar, eggs and oil in a bowl and whisk them together for 2–3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. (I’m using my smeg stand mixer with the whisk attachment but an electric hand whisk and a large bowl would work just as well.)

Sift the flour, spice and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl and fold all this in gently. (I change the attachment to the cake batter paddle and put it to the lowest setting.  Once that is evenly combined,  add the rest of the cake ingredients and gently fold in.

Pour the cake batter into the loaf tin and level itoff with the back of a tablespoon. Sprinkle the top with the almond slivers. Bake for 45 minutes or until they are springy and firm in the centre.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For more cake recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen

Eat and of course, enjoy!