Carrot Cake

 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
2 cups grated carrots

1 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease 3 9-inch cake pans. If you like, line bottoms with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and eggs until mixture is smooth. 

Whisk in oil, milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

Slowly whisk in flour mixture

Fold in carrots, 1 1/2 cups and raisins. 

Divide batter between prepared cake pans and bake 20 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from side of pan and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes away with just a few crumbs attached.

Put cake pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pans and cool completely.

While cake is cooking, prepare frosting:

When ready to assemble cake: Place one layer on cake plate. Spread with thin layer of frosting. Add second cake layer and spread with thin layer of frosting. Add last cake layer and spread thin layer of frosting on sides of cake, then a thicker layer on top. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 8-ounce package cream cheese
20 ounces  confectioners' sugar ( or more to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Milk, as needed to thin to so it is able to be frosted easily.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth.

Add butter and continue to beat until softened, smooth and well incorporated with the cream cheese.

Beat in the sugar a little at a time, then the vanilla.

If frosting is too thick to spread easily, beat in cold milk a tablespoon or so at a time until of spreading consistency.