Carrot bars

I wanted a delicious treat that didn’t use a tonne or refined sugar so I customised a favourite recipe to bring all of the best bits of a scrumptious carrot cake into a more nutritious a satisfying cake bar! Adapted it to suit your tastes, maybe swap walnuts for toasted hazelnuts. Play around with the recipe but sit down with a cuppa and a slice as a reward for your trouble!

Ingredients:

• 175g/6oz unsalted butter

• 85g/3oz soft light brown sugar

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 55g/2oz wholemeal flour

• 1 ¼ tsp baking powder

• 1tsp ground cinnamon

• 115g/4oz ground almonds

• 115g/4oz coarsely grated carrot

• 85g/3oz sultanas

• 85g/3oz no soak dried apricots finely chopped

• 55g/2oz chopped walnuts

• 1tbsp flaked almonds to decorate

• small amount of butter or vegetable oil for greasing.

Method:

Lightly grease and line with baking parchment a shallow baking tin 25x20cm/10×8″. Pre-heat the oven 180oC/350oF/Gas4.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and light in colour. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flaked almonds. Mix thoroughly.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and decorate with flaked almonds.

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes until cooked and golden brown. Test the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean and free from mixture, it is cooked. If not, put back in the oven and check in a couple of minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Remove from the tin when completely cooled, discard the lining paper and cut into bars.

These will keep in an airtight container for at least 4 days and can be frozen. Please defrost thoroughly before eating!