(1 ½ hours baking. Prepare ahead) Makes one 20cm (8inch) cake.

Ingredients

• 250ml vegetable oil (plus extra for greasing)
• 175g sultanas
• 4 x 15ml whisky
• 225g wholemeal flour
• 100g molasses or light muscovado sugar
• 15ml cocoa
• 1 x 5ml ground cinnamon
• ½ x 5ml nutmeg
• ½ x 5ml allspice
• ½ x 5ml salt
• 1 ½ x 5ml baking powder
• 1 ½ x 5ml bicarbonate of soda
• 75g walnut pieces,  finely chopped
• 225g carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 3 large eggs

Passion Fruit Icing

125g unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature
125g icing sugar
2 x 15ml passion fruit juice, passion fruit cordial or orange juice
Passion fruit to serve (optional)

Preheat oven to 1800c/3500f/Gas mark 4. Prep time 30 mins, cooking time 1 ¼ hours.

Method

1. Grease a 20.5cm round, loose-bottomed cake tin with sunflower oil and line base with a circle of grease proof paper.
2. Place the flour, cocoa, spices, salt, baking powder, bicarb, sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, sultanas and carrots in a large mixing bowl and stir together to combine all the ingredients.
3. Pour in the oil with the eggs and whisky and beat together until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and cook in the centre of the oven for about 1 ¼hours or until the top of the cake feels spongy to the touch and a metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.

To make the icing

1. Beat the butter in a mixing bowl until almost white.
2. Beat in the icing sugar and the passion fruit juice (or passion fruit cordial or orange juice).
3. Place the cake on a board, and spread the butter icing over the cake to cover completely.

Tried and tested over the years by many grateful people!