Carrot Cake with Benjamina Ebuehi

Baker, cookbook author and former GBBO star Benjamina Ebuehi is sharing her One Dish with Andi Oliver. And she’s gone for a classic - carrot cake. Benjamina’s brought a spectacular cake made to her own recipe and Andi’s wondering if there’s nutmeg in it, but in fact it’s spiced instead with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, as well as one more - slightly unexpected - ingredient.

This cake holds lots of memories for Benjamina after she started out baking in her teens. Carrot cake seemed so much more sophisticated than cupcakes, and became a firm favourite at her family functions. Its origins more broadly can be traced back to 10th century Middle Eastern puddings, with some surprising twists and turns along the way.

While the cake is now considered to be an US import in the UK due to its use of oil rather than the more traditional butter, that cross-Atlantic relationship is more complex than you might think. And Kimberley Wilson talks about the relationship between sugar and stress, explaining why so many of our comfort foods are sweet.

Food Scientist: Kimberley Wilson Food Historian: Neil Buttery Producer: Lucy Dearlove Executive Producer: Hannah Marshall Sound Design: Charlie Brandon-King Assistant Producer: Bukky Fadipe

A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4