Mary Berry has shared a delicious American carrot cake recipe, complete with a mascarpone topping.

Sharing the recipe on her website, the former Great British Bake Off judge wrote: "Always a popular cake, this American carrot cake needs to be stored in the fridge because of the mascarpone topping."

She added: "Walnut pieces are cheaper than walnut halves and are perfect for cakes."

The recipe takes just minutes to prep, before popping into the oven for 50-60 minutes, after which it's time to cover it with the delicious mascarpone topping.

The only special equipment you'll be needing for this simple recipe is a 20 cm (8 inch) deep round cake tin, which can be purchased from anywhere that sells kitchenware.

Carrot cake with mascarpone topping

Ingredients

• 225g (8 oz) self-raising flour
• Two teaspoons baking powder
• 150 g (5 oz) light muscovado sugar
• 50 g (2 oz) walnut pieces, chopped
• 100g (4 oz) carrots, coarsely grated
• Two ripe bananas, mashed
• Two eggs150 ml (5 fl oz) sunflower oil

For the topping

• 250g (9 oz) tub mascarpone cheese
• 2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Two tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
• about 25g (1 oz) walnut pieces, chopped

Method

Lightly grease a 20 cm deep round cake tin, lining the base with a circle of non-stick baking parchment. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Measure all of the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and mix well until thoroughly blended. An electric mixer will work best, but you can also use a wooden spoon if necessary. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and level the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes or until the cake is well-risen, golden and beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin. A fine skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes, before loosening the sides of the cake from the tin with a small palette knife or blunt knife, then turn the cake out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Following this it's time to make the topping, mix the mascarpone cheese in a small bowl with the vanilla extract and the sieved icing sugar. Spread evenly over the top of the cake and scatter the chopped walnuts on top. Store in the refrigerator.