Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4) and prepare a deep cake tin by greasing with vegetable oil or lining with baking parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and light brown sugar until smooth and glossy.

Add the large eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition until the batter is thick and creamy.

In a separate bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger.

Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture gently, ensuring no flour streaks remain.

Stir in the finely grated carrots and any optional nuts or sultanas until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top with a spatula.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, checking for doneness with a skewer.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the cream cheese frosting by combining cream cheese and icing sugar in a mixing bowl and beating until smooth.

Once the cake is cool, spread cream cheese frosting generously on top and around the sides.

Slice the cake into pieces and serve, storing leftovers in an airtight container.