Carrot Cake with Blackberry Buttercream

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Grease two 9-inch cake tins with butter and flour and line the base with baking paper.
• Sieve the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon powder into a medium bowl.
• Add the salt, mix well, and set aside.
• In a different bowl, whisk the sugars, oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
• Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, till smooth.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in small increments until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps.
• Mix in the carrots and chocolate chips/pecans if using.
• Pour mixture into cake tins and bake for approximately 40 minutes

For the Blackberry Buttercream:

• In a saucepan, heat the lemon juice, blackberries and sugar.
• Using the back of a spoon smash the berries.
• Boil for approximately 5 minutes on low-medium heat or until thick.
• Strain and cool your blackberry syrup.
• Beat the butter until soft.
• Add the icing sugar, vanilla extract, and blackberry syrup accordingly depending on preferred flavor and whisk till smooth.
• Ice your cooled carrot cake!