At its height of culinary fashion in the early '80s, carrot cake was de rigueur for every new cafe bar. Take a trip back in time with this - leave the shoulder pads out though!

Ingredients

• 225 grams butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• grated rind of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1¼ cups self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ cup ground almonds
• ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1-2 pieces angelica, sliced, optional
• 1-2 glace orange slices, optional
• Honey cream cheese icing
• 250 grams cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon manuka honey
• lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until lgiht and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, orange rind and lemon juice.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together and stir through the ground almonds and walnuts.
4. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, fold into the dry ingredients with the carrots. Gently stir the egg white mixture into the creamed mixture. Turn into the prepared cake tin.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-65 minutes until golden brown and well rising and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Leave in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool. When cold, spread with honey cream cheese icing and decorate with angelica and small wedges of the glace orange slices, if using.
7. Honey cream cheese icing
8. Warm the cream cheese for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Beat until smooth. Add in the honey and sufficient lemon juice to make a spreadable mixture with a subtle sharp taste.