Best Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 35o F. Coat two 9″ round baking pans or one 9 x 13″ baking pan with Pam non-stick baking spray. In a large size bowl combine all of the dry cake ingredients. Stir in the raisins and nuts if you’re using them. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl add the remaining cake ingredients and mix to blend.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet all at once. Mix until all dry ingredients are incorporated but do not over mix.
4. Pour the batter into the baking pan(s). For the two 9″ round pans bake for 30-35 minutes. For the 9 x 13″ bake for 45 minutes. For cupcakes, spray the paper liners with cooking spray and bake for 18-20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool completely.

For the frosting:
1. With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar. Mix on the lowest speed of the mixer and add the milk 1 teaspoon at a time to get a smooth spreading consistency.
2. Generously spread the frosting onto the cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve and refrigerate leftovers (if any!)