Seed cake with clementine icing recipe

A crunchy, textured cake that will appeal to those who like their cakes not too sweet. Swap the beetroot for a second apple if you wish.

self-raising flour 225g
baking powder 1 scant tsp
ground cinnamon ½ tsp
sunflower oil 180ml
light muscovado sugar 125g
golden caster sugar 100g
eggs 3
raw beetroot 1, small, peeled (100g)
apples 150g, 1 medium
lemon juice 1 tbsp
sunflower seeds 25g
pumpkin seeds 15g
poppy seeds 10g

For the icing:
mascarpone 150g
cream cheese 150g
icing sugar 75g
clementines 2
crystalised oranges 2

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Line the base and sides of a loaf tin measuring about 20cm x 10cm x 8cm with baking parchment.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Put the sunflower oil and sugars into the bowl of a food mixer and beat for 3 or 4 minutes until thoroughly creamed. Break the eggs into a bowl, beat them lightly with a fork to combine whites and yolks then add them, a third at a time, to the mixture, beating continuously.

Grate the beetroot and the apple into a bowl using the coarse side of the grater, then add the seeds and the lemon juice.

Add the flour to the sugar and egg mixture, stop the mixer then gently fold the apple, beetroot and seeds into the mixture with a large metal spoon or rubber spatula, only stirring enough to evenly distribute the fruit and vegetables. (Too thorough a mixing will send the cake pink.) Transfer to the lined cake tin.

Smooth the surface of the cake then bake for 50-60 minutes until lightly firm. Test for doneness after 50 minutes. If it is not yet done, cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes. Remove it from the oven and leave to cool, in its tin, for 30 minutes before carefully removing and placing on a rack.

When the cake is completely cold, make the frosting. Cream the mascarpone and the cream cheese together then add the sugar. Finely grate the zest of the clementines and fold in to the frosting. Spread over the cake.

Slice the crystalised fruits in half then into thick segments. Decorate the cake with the segments.