Carrot Cake With Chocolate & Cream Cheese Icing

Carrot Cake:

Icing:

Carrot Cake:
Sift the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt together. Add the carrots, nuts, coconut and orange zest and toss to coat with flour. Beat together the oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla essence. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. (Please note - the mixture will be firm.) Spoon into 2 greased and lined 20 cm in diameter cake tins. Use the back of a spoon to spread out evenly.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180◦C for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 170◦C and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pans before turning out.

Icing:
Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until creamy. Add the melted chocolate while beating continuously. Use half the icing and spread on the one cake. Place the other cake on top of the iced cake and spread the remaining icing on top. Garnish with grated chocolate or chocolate shavings and chopped pecan nuts.