Carrot cake recipe -no eggs (My friend Fareekah's)

Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup plus two tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk
2 tablespoons orange juice (reserved for soaking raisins)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots, packed

Garnish: 1/2 cups chopped nuts, unsweetened coconut, 8-10 whole nuts

Needed: two 8-inch cake pans oiled and bottoms lined with parchment paper
one recipe of "buttercream" icing
wire racks for cooling

Preheat oven to 350.

Put raisins into a small bowl, cover with orange juice and set aside to plump for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the raisins, reserving the juice.

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl: flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Stir with a wire whisk to mix.

In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients- oil, maple syrup, soymilk, orange juice and extracts - with a wire whisk until foamy.

Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth. Stir grated carrots and drained raisins into the batter with a rubber spatula. Spread into the prepared cake pans dividing evenly and smooth the tops. Bake cakes on center rack of preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until cakes are golden brown and spring back at their center when touched lightly. A cake tester inserted in the center of cake, removes clean.

Place cake pans on wire racks to cool 10 minutes, then us a dinner knife to release cake from side of pan. Turn layers out of pans onto wire racks; cool completely. Wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate before assembling the cake.

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting (This is from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World; I prefer this to the icing recommended in the cookbook with the carrot cake.)

Ingredients
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance brand is recommended.)
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy cream

Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy (use an electric mixer). Add the sugar and beat about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk; beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.