Looking at the photographs of this cake, you could be fooled into thinking it’s mid Autumn and the trees are turning. They’re not, but given the weather here in the UK (it’s pretty miserable; grey skies and that fluffy rain which get’s you far more wet than you’d think) it might as well be. With this in mind I thought I’d bake something spiced, nutty, simple and comforting to combat the bad weather blues: enter this moist carrot and apple loaf cake laced with cinnamon, ginger and walnuts topped with maple cream cheese frosting…

Ingredients:

• 225ml vegetable oil
• 225g soft light brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 125g grated carrot
• 125g grated apple
• 225g self raising flour
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2tsp ginger
• 2tsp cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 100g chopped walnuts
• zest 1 lemon

For the icing;

• 5tbsp maple syrup
• 2 heaped tbsp icing sugar
• 250g cream cheese (full fat)
• 100ml double cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170c. Grease and line a large loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Place the oil, sugar and eggs in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment) and, using electric beaters, beat together until voluminous and well combined. Now add the grated carrot and apple and briefly beat again to evenly distribute.
3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt over the wet ingredients and beat in until just combined. Lastly, fold in the walnuts and lemon zest. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Cool in the tin.
4. While the cake is cooling, make the maple cream cheese icing. Simply whisk together all the ingredients until thick and spreadable.
5. Once the cake is completely cool, top with the cream cheese icing and some walnuts, edible flowers or apple crisps, if you’re feeling fancy.

Enjoy!