Carrot Cake With Cardamom And Butter Cream

Ingredients:

150g Unsalted Lurpak Butter, melted

150g soft light brown sugar

3 free range eggs

200g self-rising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

200g carrots, peeled and finely grated

50g pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped, plus extra to decorate

For the buttercream:

200g Lurpak Salted Butter

400g icing sugar

2 tsp ground cardamom

Zest of 2 oranges

2-3 tbsp full fat milk

Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan

Grease and line 2 x 20cm cake tins

PREPARATION:

In a large bowl beat together the melted butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.

You want the mixture to have almost doubled in volume.

Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices and gently fold these into the butter mixture, trying not to knock out any of the air.

Gently fold in the carrots and pistachios and divide the mixture evenly between the two tins.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean when inserted to the centre of the cake. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Meanwhile, beat the salted butter for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add in the icing sugar, cardamom and orange zest and beat again until fully incorporated.

Finally, slowly add in the milk and beat, adding just enough to loosen the mixture.

Cover the top of the first cake with half of the buttercream and place the second cake on top. Then cover the top with the other half of the buttercream and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.