This home made cake is a real winner when it comes to taste, texture and some bonus health benefits thanks to all the carrots and walnuts.

Keep the cake tins full by baking two or three at the same time and freezing the extra cakes (un-iced), then just thaw, ice and serve up.

Makes: 15 slices
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour and 15 minutes

1¾ cups gluten-free self-raising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoons mixed spice
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons psyllium husks
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable or sunflower oil
1½ cups coarsely grated carrot
440g (14 oz) can crushed pineapple (in juice), well drained
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts Icing
1 cup gluten-free icing sugar mixture, sifted
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon rind

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and grease and line the base of a loaf pan (11cm x 21cm/4 x 8in). Sift flour with spices into a large bowl. Mix in sugar and psyllium.

Combine eggs with oil, carrot and pineapple and add this to the flour mix, along with the walnuts and stir to combine. Pour mixture into pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack, turn right side up and leave to cool completely before icing.

For the icing: Mix sifted icing sugar with butter, lemon juice and lemon rind until smooth, adding more lemon juice for a runnier consistency. Spread over top of cake.

Tip: Packet cake mixes are very quick to make and great to have on hand for an emergency when friends drop by. The packet carrot cake we made compared well with home made in terms of value for money too, but our taste testers opted for home made every time when it came to taste and texture.