Bourbon Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 8 medium size carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons ground walnuts

Frosting

• 1/2 cup sweet butter softened
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (1 pound package (3 1/2 cups) confectioners sugar

Method

Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, combine raisins and bourbon; set aside for one hour. Grease and flour two 9 inch round baking pans. In medium size bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves; set aside. In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat canola oil, white sugar, brown sugar and eggs until well combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally with rubber spatula. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture just until combined. Do not over beat. Drain raisins, reserving the bourbon. With rubber spatula, fold in 3 cups carrots, the raisins and 1 cup walnuts. Divide batter between pans. Bake cake layers 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks and remove pan; cool cakes. In small saucepan, combine reserved bourbon and remaining 1 1/2 cups carrots. Cook over high heat 2 to 3 minutes or just until carrots soften and most of bourbon evaporates. Set aside to cool completely.

Prepare Frosting
In large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in confectioners sugar until well combined.

Assemble cake:
Place 1 cake layer on serving plate and spread one third of frosting over top. Place other layer evenly on top of frosted layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle bourbon carrot shreds on top and side of frosted cake. Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons of walnuts around bottom edge of cake to form a border.