To start, boil water and soak the raisins for ten minutes. This step plumps the raisins up and ultimately injects good moisture into the cake. As the raisins cool, you go ahead and mix up the dry ingredients.
Add the raisins, oil, and egg to the batter. At first, it’ll look lumpy, but trust the process and keep stirring, it’ll form a smooth mixture.
Pour into a parchment lined greased 8×8 pan and bake until the cake is golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist, not wet, crumbs.
The frosting is a simple but classic combination of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and the tiniest pinch of salt.
Once the cake is cooled, lift it out of the tray and carefully slice it in half. Place one cake layer on a tray, spread some frosting on top, and then top it with the second layer and the remaining frosting.
Sliced and served, you’ll have yourself a dessert from the past. The raisins and spices have a warm Christmas-y sort of vibe, while the cream cheese frosting gives the cake an appeal for any time of year.
