Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese and Cinnamon icing

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients
50g (125ml) Pecan nuts
200g (350ml) whole-wheat self-raising flour
15ml mixed spices
5ml bicarbonate of soda
175g (220ml) soft brown sugar
3 eggs
150ml oil
1 orange rind, finely grated
200g (400ml) carrots, grated
± 2 heaped  tablespoons pineapple, crushed
110g (185ml) sultanas
50g (155ml) coconut
Cream cheese icing:
100g butter, cut into little blocks
260g (500ml) icing sugar, sieved
250g Philadelphia cream cheese
5ml lemon juice
2,5ml vanilla essence
5ml ground cinnamon
Syrup:
juice of one orange
15ml lemon juice
75g (95ml) soft brown sugar

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Grease two 18,5cm loose-bottom cake tins and line with baking paper.
3. Place pecan nuts on a baking tray and roast for about 8 minutes. Shake baking tray every now and then.
4. Lower the oven temperature to 170ºC as soon as pecan nuts are finished roasting.
5. Chop pecan nuts roughly.
6. Sift self-raising flour, mixed spices and bicarbonate of soda.
7. Beat sugar, eggs and oil for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.
8. Fold in the dry ingredients into the egg mixture with a large metal spoon.
9. Add rest of ingredients and half of the pecan nuts, and fold it in to mixture.
10. Divide mixture between the two prepared cake tins and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Tip: Maybe bake for another 10 minutes.
11. The cake should spring back after you have pressed lightly on it. The edges should pull slightly back from the sides.
Cream cheese icing:
12. Beat together the butter and icing sugar till smooth.
13. Add half the cream cheese and rest of the ingredients, beat till smooth.
14. Add the rest of the cream cheese and beat till just mixed in. Don't beat it too much, as it will become runny.
15. Cover and place in fridge until you are ready to use it.
Syrup:
16. Beat the fruit juices and sugar in a mixing bowl till sugar is dissolved.
17. Insert a skewer into both cakes as soon as it comes out the oven.
18. Pour the syrup over the warm cakes.
19. Let the cakes stand until cool then remove from the cake tins.
20. Spread half of the icing onto one cake. Place the other cake on top and then ice that cake.
21. Sprinkle the pecan nuts over the cake just before serving.