Christmasy Carrot Cake

                               
My festive mood continues with this incredibly rich and spiced Carrot Cake. 
Diwali just gone by, I had promised to keep myself off sweets for some time, but looking at all the lovely fresh carrots flooding the market, I just couldn't resist picking some up and trying this cake out.
Keeping with the festive season, I decided to give a twist to my original "Carrot cake" recipe and decided to add some dried orange powder (which I prepare every winters by drying out the orange peels and then grinding them into a powder) and some alcohol soaked candied peels and mixed dry fruits which lay soaked and ready to be used next month, for making the much awaited Christmas cake. 
The cake turned out incredibly moist and very delicious. The alcohol soaked dried fruits gave a nice zingy flavor to the whole cake. I deliberately abstained from making the frosting (much as I wanted to try it out), consciously trying to keep the sweet limit low keeping my growing waistline in mind. It tastes great as it is...

                             

 Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups grated carrot
3/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp dried orange powder
1 tsp baking powder
11/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon powder
100 gm raisins
1/2 cup  - soaked fruits 

Method
Preheat oven to180 C.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and the dried orange powder. Set aside.
Combine the vegetable oil, both the sugars and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk well for 1-2 minutes with a hand mixer until blended.
Gradually stir in flour mixture into the egg mixture until well combined.
Add shredded carrots, raisins and the alcohol soaked fruits along with the syrup, mixing well.  
Transfer to a lined baking tin.
Bake for 50 minutes or till you see the cake pulling away from the edges and a skewer inserted inside comes out clean.
Cool cake completely in pan and then remove.

For all those who are keen to frost the cake, here's an excellent recipe for cream cheese icing which goes perfectly with this carrot cake

For the icing
125g cream cheese
250g icing sugar, sieved
1-2 tsp of lime juice 
12 walnut halves
Beat the cream cheese until soft, then  beat in the icing sugar till well mixed.
Squeeze in the lime juice. Spread the icing all around the cake and decorate with walnut halves.