It has been a cold wet winter and lean pickings over the winter months.  Winter greens and a magnificent harvest of carrots.  Geoff has finally mastered the art of growing carrots!   So time to put those carrots to good use.

• 1 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup wholemeal plain flour
• 2 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup sultanas
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven 180 deg C.  Brush square 20 cm cake pan with oil and line with baking paper.

Sift together all the flours(return bran to bowl), bicarb and baking soda, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.  Add brown sugar, carrots, walnuts and sultanas and mix well.

In another smaller mixing bowl, beat eggs with oil untilpale in colour.  Add to dry ingredients and fold until just combined.

Spoon mixture into tin and bake for about 35 minutes until skewer comes out clean.  Stand for 10 minutes before taking out of tin.  Cool.

Now for the icing:

• 160g cream cheese
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• finely grated rind of one orange
• Decorate with roasted pumpkin /sunflower seeds, shredded coconuts, diced dried apricots, sultanas or any other treasure you find in your pantry

Place cream cheese , icing sugar and orange rind in the food processor and give it a whizz until smooth.

Spread over cooled cake and decorate.