Chocolate Carrot Apricot Nutty Cake

Chocolate Carrot Apricot Nutty Cake

3 eggs

200ml Sunflower oil

200g dark chocolate (melted)

80g dark brown sugar

200g dark chocolate (melted)

200g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed spice

200g grated carrot

50g Dried apricot (shredded)

70g cashew nuts, pecan nuts, hazelnuts (toasted and chopped)

Decoration on the cake:

200g Mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoon lemon juice

70g icing sugar

2 tablespoon grated carrots

150g dark chocolate (melted and make into shapes)

Roast mixed whole nuts

Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1.      Grease and line a 15cm.(6 inch)round cake tin or two sandwich tins

2.      Whisk egg and sugar together till light and fluffy. Add in oil and melted chocolate. Mix well.

3.      Mix in carrots and all the dried ingredients. Mix well.

4.      Transfer the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes at 180C/350F/ Gas mark4. Cool on a wire rack.

5.      To decorate: cream the cream cheese, lemon juice and icing sugar together. Spread the cream on top of the cool down cake. Decorate with roast mixed nuts, chocolate shapes and grated carrots and apricots. Dust with icing sugar.

To make the chocolate shapes: Spread ½ of the melted chocolate on a greaseproof paper. Leave to cool. Cut in shape using a knife or pastry cutter shapes.

 Place the other ½ of the chocolate in a paper cone. Draw shapes using a template on a greaseproof paper. Pipe round the shapes with the chocolate ( in the paper cone). Leave to cool.  When cool, peel off the paper and decorate the cake.

* Omit nuts if you have a nut allergy *