Easter Carrot Cake

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins
Serves: 10

Ingredients
Carrot Cake
2½ cups self-raising flour
1½ cups CSR Caster Sugar
½ cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ cups sunflower oil
4 extra large eggs
2½ cups grated carrot

Caramel Sauce
½ cup CSR Caster Sugar
1 tbs water
⅓ cup thickened cream
Spiced Buttercream
150g unsalted butter, softened
250g CSR Vanilla Buttercream Icing Mix
1 tsp mixed spice
3 tsp water

To Decorate
Fresh bay leaves

Candied or fresh orange slices

Method
Pre-heat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Grease and line 2 x 20cm cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together oil and eggs until well combined. Add to flour mixture with the grated carrot. Mix thoroughly.
Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 35 mins, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 mins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, refrigerate covered until required.
For the caramel sauce, place sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat and boil without stirring until a golden colour is achieved. Add cream to pan, swirling to combine and remove from heat.
For buttercream, place butter in a bowl and using electric beaters, mix until smooth. Add icing mix, spice and water, mixing well.
To assemble, place one of the cakes onto a serving plate. Top with half of the buttercream and a half of the caramel sauce. Place second cake on top and smooth over the remaining buttercream. Drizzle with caramel sauce and decorate with bay leaves and candied orange slices.