Carrot Cake with Raisins

   I love carrot cake, It seems to usher in "Spring" to me.  My homemade cream cheese frosting is not only super easy to make but, helps to put this cake 'over the top.'   ~Enjoy! Diane 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients: 
Cake:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups peeled carrots, finely grated 
1/2 cup chopped pecans, *optional
1/2 cup raisins

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease & flour a 9x13 baking pan (I use "Pam with Flour for Baking")  Using a stand/electric mixer, beat sugar and vegetable oil in bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir/fold in carrots, chopped pecans and raisins by hand. 
Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45 minutes. Cool in pan. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)
Once ready to frost: 
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled cake an cut into bars.
Refrigerate any leftovers.

Cake Recipe Adapted from: Epicurious 
Frosting and Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home