You could measure my life in health-food shops. It is to them I turn for the bulk of my pantry shopping, from parchment-colored figs and organic almonds to sea salt and cubes of fresh yeast. Their shelves are a constant source of inspiration and reassurance. It is also where I first came across organic vegetables, long before the supermarkets saw them as a moneymaker or the organic-box schemes would turn up at your door. It was these pine-clad shops, with their lingering scent of patchouli, that introduced me to the joys of the organic rutabaga. To this day I wouldn’t go anywhere else for my lentils and beans, though I can live without the crystals and self-help manuals. There is something endlessly reassuring about their rows of cellophane-encased dates and haricot beans, their dried nuggets of cranberry, and jars of organic peanut butter. And where else can you get a incense stick when you need one? Health-food shops rarely used to be without a carrot cake on the salad counter, usually next to the black-currant cheesecake and the deep whole-wheat quiche. Good they were, too, with thick cream cheese icing and shot through with walnuts. I never scorned them the way others did, finding much pleasure in the deep, soggy layers of cake and frosting. This was first published in The Observer five or six years ago, and rarely does a week go by without an email asking for a copy to replace one that has fallen apart or stuck to the bottom of a pan. Few things make a cook happier than someone asking for one of your recipes.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 8 to 10

　　eggs – 3

　　self-rising flour – 2 cups (250g)

　　baking soda – half a teaspoon

　　baking powder – a teaspoon

　　ground cinnamon – a teaspoon

　　salt – a pinch

　　sunflower oil – 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200ml)

　　light muscovado sugar – scant 1 cup (250g)

　　carrots – 5 ounces (150g)

　　juice of half a lemon

　　walnuts – 1 1/4 cups (150g)

　　

For the Frosting

mascarpone cheese – 9 ounces (250g)

　　cream cheese – 7 ounces (200g)

　　unsifted confectioners’ sugar – 1 1/2 cups (150g)

　　the grated zest of a medium orange

　　walnut halves – a handful

　　

Step 1

Set the oven at 350°F (180°C). Lightly butter two 9-inch (22cm) cake pans, then line each with a round of parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Separate the eggs. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat the oil and sugar in a stand mixer until well beaten, then add the egg yolks one by one. Grate the carrots into the mixture, then add the lemon juice. Coarsely chop the walnuts and add them too.

　　

Step 3

Fold the flour into the mixture with the mixer on low speed. Beat the egg whites until light and stiff, then fold gently into the mixture using a large metal spoon (a wooden one will knock the air out).

　　

Step 4

Divide the mixture between the two prepared cake pans, smooth the top gently, and bake for forty to forty-five minutes. Test with a skewer for doneness. The cakes should be moist but not sticky. Remove from the oven and let rest for a good ten minutes before turning the cakes out of their pans onto a wire cooling rack.

　　

Step 5

To make the frosting, put the mascarpone, cream cheese, and confectioners’ sugar into an electric mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. It should have no lumps. Mix in the orange zest.

　　

Step 6

When the cake is cool, sandwich the halves together with about a third of the frosting. Use the rest to cover the top and sides of the cake. I don’t think you need be too painstaking; a rough finish will look more appropriate here. Cover the top with walnut halves.

　　Tender