Best Reader Recipe

Dear Easy Food,
My name is Patricia and since becoming a mum I just love to cook and bake. My daughter is 4 years old now and has also caught the baking bug! It's great fun, and great mess...! One of our favourite recipes is carrot cake. Lots of my friends have never tried this as the name put them off, but I bake it when they come for lunch and they all love it now! I hope your readers enjoy this as much as my family and friends do.

Serves 8-10

• 150g of self raising flour
• 150g of soft brown sugar
• 1tsp of baking powder
• 50g of chopped walnuts
• 50g of grated carrot
• 150ml of oil
• 1 egg
• 1tsp of mixed spice

For the topping:

• 150g of cream cheese
• 2tbsp of icing sugar
• 1tsp of vanilla essence
• Handful of chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the bottom of a loaf tin with greaseproof paper, grease the inside of the tin and insert paper.
2. Put the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, walnuts and carrot in a large bowl and mix well, then place the oil and egg in bowl and mix and lastly add the mixed spice, pour all in your loaf tin place in the oven for 1 hour or till firm
   to touch.
3. For the topping mix the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and spread on the cake when slightly cooled, sprinkle with a handful of chopped walnuts.