Method

Pre-heat fan oven to 170'c.

To make the cake, add eggs & sugars to a bowl & beat with an electric hand whisk or in a food mixer for at least 10 mins until pale, then add rapeseed oil & vanilla extract whisk in, in a separate bowl add flour, salt, cinnamon, grated carrot & bi-carb of soda mix all together well then fold into the mixture with silicon spatula with the chopped pecan nuts.

Take a 22 cm loose bottom spring-form cake tin (12 portion recipe), place a round disc of greaseproof paper at the bottom then grease tin with butter, tip in the mixture & bake for 45 mins then test by sticking in a wooden skewer or a cocktail stick, if it comes out clean is done, if not test every 5 mins until cooked all the way through, when done leave to cool then remove from the tin on a rack to allow to go cold.

Make the buttercream by adding the cream in a bowl & beat with an electric hand whisk or in a food mixer whip until firm peaks then add cheese, icing sugar & maple syrup & beat in to combine.

When cake is cold cut in half with a bread knife, spread 5 mm layer with a icing spatula or a kitchen palette knife, replace the top, then cover & spread the top of the cake with buttercream & sprinkle over pecan nut topping & press down into the buttercream to finish.