HOWARD MIDDLETON

Blushing carrot cake

This gluten-free carrot cake is blushed with the juice of blood oranges - plumping up the dried apricots within the cake and adding a tangy tint to the cream cheese frosting.  Gram flour (made from chickpeas) is an unconventional choice for a cake but trust me - it works here!  If you want to make this cake when blood oranges are out of season, use the zest of ordinary oranges and seek out a carton or bottle of fresh blood orange juice.

Ingredients

For the cake

75g dried apricots

zest of two blood oranges (or ordinary oranges if not in season)

juice of two blood oranges (or 140ml blood orange juice)

125ml mild and light olive oil, plus extra for greasing the tins

150g caster sugar

3 large eggs, separated

75g nut butter (unsweetened and unsalted) - like almond, hazelnut or cashew

75g roasted chopped hazelnuts

200g grated carrot (roughly two medium-sized carrots)

75g gram flour (sometimes called besan or chickpea flour)

125g ground almonds

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the filling and topping

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g icing sugar

zest of a blood orange (or an ordinary orange if not in season)

juice of a blood orange (or 70ml blood orange juice)

280g full fat cream cheese

Method

1. Chop or snip the dried apricots into small chunks and place in a small bowl with the orange zest and juice.  Cover and leave for 30 minutes or longer.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.  Grease two 20cm (8 inch) loose bottom or springform cake tins and line with baking parchment.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil with the sugar, then add the egg yolks, nut butter, chopped hazelnuts, grated carrots and the apricots with their juicy marinade.  Stir in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and spices and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, and then carefully fold them into the cake mixture, so they are incorporated without losing too much air.
5. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for about 30 minutes, until the cakes have shrunk slightly from the sides of the tins and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out reasonably clean.
6. Let the cakes cool in the tins for a while, then turn out onto a wire rack.
7. To make the cream cheese frosting, whisk the softened butter with the icing sugar, orange zest and 3 tsp orange juice until smooth.  Add the cream cheese and keep whisking until light and fluffy.
8. When the cakes are cool, place one, top down, on a plate or cake stand.  Sandwich the cakes together with half of the frosting, then top with the rest.  Drizzle the leftover blood orange juice over the top before serving.