Easter carrot cake with buttercream & caramel sauce

Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line two 20cm cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil and eggs until well combined. Add to flour mixture with the grated carrot. Mix thoroughly.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 35 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, refrigerate covered until required for assembly.

Place sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat and boil without stirring until a golden colour is achieved. Add cream to pan, swirling to combine and remove from heat, allowing to cool.

Place butter in a bowl and using electric beaters, mix until smooth. Add icing mix, spice and water, mixing well.

For assembly, place one of the cakes onto a serving plate. Top with half of the buttercream and a half of the caramel sauce. Place second cake on top and smooth over the remaining buttercream. Drizzle with caramel sauce and decorate with bay leaves and candied orange slices.