Step 1
Preheat your oven to 220°C (Gas mark 7) and wash your hands!
Step 2
Ask an adult to help you cook the grated carrot and syrup together over a low heat for a few minutes in a small saucepan. The mixture will go slightly runny and squishy! Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the carrot mixture.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the margarine and sugar using a wooden spoon until it is light and fluffy. (You could cheat and use an electric whisk!)
Step 4
Beat the carrot and syrup mixture into the sugar and margarine. Then stir in the vanilla and almond essences, and the dried fruit.
Step 5
Add the cinnamon and flour to the bowl with the fruity mixture, and stir well.
Step 6
Mix in the warm milk to make a moist dough – you might need to use your hands! Tip: add the milk a little bit at a time so that the dough doesn’t go runny. You might not need the whole cupful.
Step 7
Grease a round cake tin and press the mixture into it. Tip: We used a 20cm diameter (8 inch) cake tin. If you use a smaller one, the cake will need longer to cook.
Step 8
Put the cake into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes at 220°C (Gas mark 7). Then turn the oven down to 150°C (Gas mark 2) and bake for another 1 ½ hours. Check your cake regularly and see if it is cooked by making a small hole in the middle with a knife (if the knife comes out clean then the cake is cooked).