A novel way to use up root vegetables is to bake up a sweet, moist sponge with citrus flavours

Prep: 40 mins cook: 30 mins plus cooling

Easy cuts into 15 squares

Ingredients:

• 200g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 140g sultana or raisins
• zest and juice 2 oranges, or 4 clementines
• 300g self-raising flour
• 300g light soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 large eggs, beaten with a fork
• 300g carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, butternut squash or swede, or a mixture, grated
• 200g icing sugar or fondant icing sugar
• few crushed white sugar cubes

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
2. Grease and line a 30 x 20cm baking or roasting tin with baking parchment.
3. Mix the sultanas and zest and juice from 1 orange (or 2 clementines), and microwave on High for 2 mins.
4. Mix the flour, caster sugar, spices, bicarb and pinch of salt into a large bowl.
5. Mix the eggs with the melted butter and sultana mixture, then tip into the dry ingredients and stir in with a wooden spoon.
6. Stir in the grated veg, and scrape into the tin.
7. Bake for 35 – 40 mins, or until a skewer poked in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
8. Once cool sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in remaining orange zest plus enough juice to make a runny icing.
9. Drizzle all over the cake and scatter with the crushed sugar cubes. Leave to set, then slice into 15 squares to serve.