Super Healthy Baking: Carrot Cake Bites

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour, 30 mins

Serves: 16

Category: Healthy Eating,Dessert,Cakes

Ingredients

For the cake
• 1 medium orange
• 140g raisin
• 125ml rapeseed oil
• 115g plain wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder, plus a pinch
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
• 140g dark muscovado sugar
• 280g finely grated carrot (about 375-400g carrots before peeling)
• 2 eggs
• 115g self-raising flour

• 100g light soft cheese, straight from the fridge
• 100g quark
• 3 tbsp sifted icing sugar

Method

1. Heat oven to 160°C (140°C for fan assisted ovens) or Gas mark 3.
2. For the cake, grate the zest from the orange and squeeze 3 tbsp of juice. Pour the juice over the raisins in a bowl, stir in the zest, then leave to soak while you make the cake.
3. Lightly oil and line the base of a deep square cake tin. Mix both flours with 1 tsp baking powder, the bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.
4. Separate one egg. Put the white in a small bowl and the yolk in a large one. Break the remaining whole egg in with the yolk, then tip in the sugar. Whisk together for 1-2 mins until foamy. Slowly pour in the oil and continue to whisk on a low speed until well mixed. Tip in the flour mix, half at a time, and gently stir it into the egg mixture with a rubber spatula or big spoon.
5. Put a pinch of baking powder in with the egg white and whisk to soft peaks.
6. Fold the carrot, raisins (and any liquid) into the flour mixture. Gently fold in the whisked egg white, then pour into the tin. Jiggle the tin to level the mixture. Bake for 1 hour until risen and firm or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove onto a wire rack to cool.
7. To make the frosting, stir the soft cheese, quark, icing sugar and orange zest together - don't overbeat. Stir in the lemon juice.
8. Swirl the frosting over the cake and cut into even squares. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe credit: BBC Good Food