•  1¼ cups (220g) brown sugar
•  ¾ cup (185ml) vegetable oil
•  3 eggs
•  1½ cups (225g) plain (all-purpose) flour
•  1½ teaspoons baking powder
•  1 teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) soda
•  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  ½ teaspoon ground ginger
•  2½ cups grated carrot (about 5 carrots)
•  ½ cup (60g) chopped pecan nuts
•  ½ cup (80g) sultanas

cream cheese frosting

•  250g cream cheese, softened
•  ⅓ cup (110g) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
•  1½ tablespoons lemon juice

  Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the sugar and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2–3 minutes. Add the eggs gradually and beat well. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger over the sugar mixture. Add the carrot, pecans and sultanas and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 22cm-round cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 55–60 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in tin.

  For the cream cheese frosting, process the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and process until smooth. Spread frosting on the cooled cake. Serves 8.