Candied Pistachio Carrot Cake

I really like this small carrot cake with a not-too-sweet icing and crunchy, candied pistachios on top. It is the sort of cake that you can knock up quickly and enjoy with a cup of tea after a walk.

Ingredients:

Cake:
115ml flavourless oil
50g plain full-fat natural yogurt
2 medium eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
135g self-raising flour
170g light brown soft sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground mixed spice
Grating of fresh nutmeg
25g chopped pistachios
50g sultanas
140g grated carrots

Icing:
100g double cream
100g full-fat cream cheese
1 1/2 Tablespoons caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Candied pistachios:
60g shelled pistachios
1 Tablespoon golden syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons caster sugar
Pinch of salt

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees fan. Grease and line the bottom of an 8” baking tin with nonstick baking paper. Mix the oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla bean paste in a bowl and set aside. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices into a large bowl. Add the carrots, pistachios, and sultanas to the dry ingredients and combine well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake for a few minutes before removing from the tin and allow it to cool completely before icing. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Mix all icing ingredients together with a whisk until thickened and a spreadable consistency. Spread or pipe onto cooled cake. Top with candied pistachios.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees fan. Melt the golden syrup and caster sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, stir in the pistachios and salt. Immediately transfer to a lined baking sheet and bake 6-8 minutes (watch carefully as it can quickly burn!). Allow to cool before decorating the cake as desired.

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