Carrot Cake

Bake this easy cake with your kids in the morning. Then take it straight from the oven, wrapped in a tea towel with a knife, some fruit and a bottle of water. Put your housebound kids and dogs in the car and drive to the nearest park. Pick a spot in dappled sunlight to spread a rug and enjoy life. Eating carrot cake cut straight from the tin - the outer edge crisp and crumbly and the inside moist and still warm from the oven - is one of life's most joyful pleasures.

1.5 cups self raising flour

0.5 cups of brown sugar

1.5 cups coarsely grated carrot

0.5 cups sultanas

0.5 cups chopped walnuts

zest of 1 lemon

1tsp bicarb of soda

1tsp cinnamon 

0.5 tsp ground ginger

3 eggs

2Tbs maple syrup

3/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 180•C. Butter one large, or two small loaf tins and line the base with baking paper. Sift flour and mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk eggs and wet ingredients then add to dry ingredients and mix til just combined. Pour into loaf tins and decorate with whole pecans and demerara sugar. Bake until a skewer comes out clean, approx 35-45 mins for a small loaf tin, or 1 hour for a regular sized tin.