The Hairy Bikers' carrot cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 200g wholemeal flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• Pinch of salt
• 100g light soft brown sugar
• 50ml maple syrup
• Zest of 1 orange
• 3 eggs
• 75ml sunflower or rapeseed oil
• 50ml yoghurt
• 50g walnuts or pecans, chopped
• 200g carrots, grated
• 150g raisins

For the icing (optional)

• 50g quark
• 50g cream cheese
• 25g thick yoghurt
• 25g icing sugar
• A few drops of vanilla extract

Method

Not a dish for every day but we have reduced the calories in this cake by cutting back on the sugar and oil, so you can have your cake and eat it – occasionally at least! Adding yoghurt helps keep the cake moist. If you like, you could replace the sugar with xylitol (a natural alternative to sugar) to reduce the calories still further. Icing is optional but if you do add icing, keep the cake in the fridge, as there isn’t a high enough sugar content to preserve the dairy safely.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Butter a 20cm deep round cake tin and line it with baking parchment.

Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb and cardamom with a generous pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, maple syrup, orange zest, eggs and oil until well combined. Fold in the flour mixture followed by the yoghurt to make a smooth batter, then stir in the walnuts or pecans, grated carrots and raisins.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until well risen, springy to touch and slightly shrunken away from the sides. Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack.

To make the icing, if using, beat together all the ingredients until thick and smooth. When the cake is completely cool, spread the icing over the top with a palette knife. If not serving immediately, store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutritional information

Info per slice without icing/with icing: Calories: 358/392, Protein (g) 8/9, Carbs (g) 48/51, Sugar (g) 30/34, Fat (g) 14/15.5, Saturated fat (g) 2/3, Fibre (g) 4/4, Salt (g) 0.8/0.8

The Hairy Dieters' Simple Healthy Food: A Guide to Losing Weight and Staying Healthy by Si King and Dave Myers is published by Seven Dials on 12 May in trade paperback at £16.99, photography by Andrew Hayes-Watkins

Try one of our other delicious Hairy Biker recipes, such as black forest pudding, vegetable enchiladas and quick rice pudding.

Alternatively, visit our baking section for more cake recipes.