Dry ingredients: sift together and set aside.

13 ounces flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon table salt
1½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Wet ingredients: mix together in an electric mixer or mixing bowl.

3 cups sugar
1¾ cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs
3 tablespoons spiced dark rum

Garnish

5 oz Diced dried Apricots, rehydrate in 2C boiling water for 30 minutes, drain and discard the water.
1½ Shredded Carrots, peel and shred the carrots on a box grater

3 milks: mix together and set aside. (You will have extra.)

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
½ cup half and half

Cream cheese frosting

12 oz cream cheese
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 C 10 X sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on medium-low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add butter, and cream until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar on low speed, and mix until completely combined.

Beat frosting on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Procedure, In a mixing bowl or an electric mixer, mix the wet ingredients together until well blended, add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Stir in the garnish.

Butter and flour 2 9” cake pans.

Divide the batter between the two pans and bake in a preheated 350* for 27-35 minutes (depending on your oven) or until an internal temp of 202* is reached, or insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean it’s done, if not, bake 5 more minutes and test again.

When the cakes are done, transfer them to a cooling rack and cool to room temp. Remove the cake from the pans and place them individually onto display plates.

If you have a squeeze bottle, place the milk mix in the bottle and soak the cake with the milks. Allow the first pass to soak in and repeat one more time to make the cake nice and moist but not to the point where the milk is pooling at the base of the plate. If you don’t have a bottle, use a ladle or a large spoon and moisten the cakes.

Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe 12 strawberry sized rosettes on the cake, one each per slice.