Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F.)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Cost: Economical

To create the decoration, set aside a little of the icing and add a few drops of food coloring. Pipe out the carrot with a pastry bag: use a round tip for the carrot and a half-shell tip for the stem.

For the icing
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1. Wash, peel and grate the carrots finely.
2. Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water to obtain a light, airy crumb.
3. Place the flour, yeast, sugar and eggs in a bowl. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
4. Add the oil, carrots and spices. Mix well.
5. Coarsely chop the dates; blend them into the batter with the raisins.
6. Pour the batter into a non-stick cake pan - if using an ordinary pan, butter and sugar all the surfaces.
7. Bake in a 200° C (400° F) oven for 30 minutes. Check for doneness with a skewer or the point of a knife.
8. Turn out of the pan onto a rack and let cool.

Icing 

1. Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth.
2. Mix in the icing sugar and vanilla.