Easy Carrot Cake

1Heat oven and prepare pans: Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then grease the top. Or grease and flour the bottom and sides of both pans.

2Prepare dry ingredients: Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until very well blended.

3Prepare wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each one.

4Make the batter: Switch to a large rubber spatula. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the dry ingredients in three parts, gently stirring until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in the carrots, nuts, and raisins.

5Bake cake layers: Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until the tops of the cake layers are springy when touched and when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

6Cool them: Remove the cakes from the oven, and leave them in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the cake layers out onto cooling racks. Remove the parchment paper and cool completely before frosting. If you find that a cake layer is sticking to the bottom of the pan, leave the cake pan upside down and allow gravity to do its thing.

1Prep dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the cornstarch and powdered sugar. Set this aside.

2Beat cream cheese: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a handheld mixer on medium speed until very smooth, whipped, and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.

3Combine ingredients: With the mixer on low speed, add the cornstarch and powdered sugar to the cream cheese, a heaped spoonful at a time, until thoroughly combined.

4Add the cream: Pour in the cold heavy cream. Beat on medium to medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until the frosting is whipped and creamy. If it is not whipping, chill in the fridge for 15 minutes, and try again. This frosting resembles the texture of whipped cream. Chill covered until ready to frost the cake.

5Assemble the cake: When the cake layers are completely cool, frost the top of one cake layer and place the second cake layer on top. Add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake and use a butter knife or small spatula to swirl the frosting around. Leave the sides of the cake unfrosted. Finish with a handful of nuts on top.