1.  Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (325 Fahrenheit / Gas 3)

2.  Line 23 x 23cm baking tin with parchment paper.

3.  Peel and grate the carrots. Coarsely grate 70g of carrots and finely grate the remaining 150g so you have a total of 220g. 

4. Using either a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric whisk, beat the sugar, eggs and oil until they are well combined. 

5. In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground mixed spices, ginger and salt and combine thoroughly.

6. Slowly add the flour mix into the oil mixture and beat until it is well mixed. 

7. Now by hand, using a spatula or wooden spoon, add the vanilla extract and all the grated carrots to the cake batter. Stir until it is evenly dispersed. 

8. Put the batter to one side until required. 

Make the cheesecake- 

1. In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, mix the cream cheese and yoghurt together until smooth. Don’t whisk to add air, just mix to get rid of any lumps. 

2. Add the vanilla and mix again. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and cornflour together until there are no cornflour lumps and it just looks like a bowl of sugar. Add to the cream cheese. Mix well until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

4. Add the beaten egg, mix into the cream cheese but avoid adding air. 

Assembling the cake- 

1. Pour a layer of approximately 1/3 of the cake batter into the bottom of the prepared tin. 

2. Spoon about 1/2 of the cheesecake mix randomly on top of the cake batter in spoonfuls. 

3. Pour more cake batter to cover the cheesecake and then spoon the remaining cheesecake randomly again. Finish with remaining cake batter. 

4. Taking a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife, swirl the cheesecake and cake batter together gently. 

5. Tap the baking tin quite vigorously onto the work surface a few times to release any trapped air bubbles. You will see them disappear.

6. Bake for 35- 40 minutes until the cake is golden and has a slight wobble in the centre. Use a wooden toothpick to test. Once inserted there should be no cake  crumbs attached but you will get the cheesecake filling, which sets when cold. 

7. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before slicing.

Serve at room temperature or fridge cold. This cake will need to be stored in the fridge but I suggest returning it to room temperature before eating. 

To make the frosting- optional 

Orange buttercream frosting.
200g icing sugar
70g butter
1/2 orange zested
2 teaspoons of orange juice
1 tablespoon Greek yoghurt 

Beat the sieved icing sugar and butter with a handheld whisk or freestanding mixer until smooth. Add the orange juice, orange zest and yoghurt and whisk again. Once you are happy with the consistency, beat on a high speed for 5 minutes until the icing sugar no longer feels grainy. The longer you mix, the fluffier and lighter the frosting is. 

When the cake is  completely cold and sliced, pipe or spread onto each square. Decorate with a sprinkling of finely chopped walnuts if desired. 

This cake, because of the cheesecake swirls should be stored in the fridge.