1. Preheat the oven to 150°c/300F

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until its light and fluffy with an electric whisk

3. Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the mixture and beat well.

4. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and ground spices

5. Mix in the finely grated carrot and sultanas or raisins and chopped walnuts

6. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the cake mixture.

7. Spoon the mixture into a 9 inch square baking tin lined with greaseproof paper.

8. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

9. Gently remove from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least two hours before frosting

10. To make the frosting beat all ingredients together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy.

11. Top the cake with the icing and chopped walnuts and cut into 12 rectangles.

Chef tip

Try using grated beetroot instead of carrot, the cake will taste very similar but have a lovely pink colour.