Best Ever Carrot Cake

I found this recipe years ago and have to say it is the BEST carrot cake I've ever eaten - hope you enjoy also.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 4  eggs, separated
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  cup carrot, grated
• 1  cup walnuts, finely grated
• 1  cup raisins (I prefer golden raisons)
• 1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1⁄2 cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  cup  oil (I use unsalted butter) or 1  cup butter (I use unsalted butter)
• 2 1⁄2 tablespoons hot water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 8  ounces cream cheese
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup  strawberry jam, apricot jam (apricot is best) or 1⁄2 cup  raspberry jam (apricot is best)
• 1  cup  whipping cream
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Spray 13X9 or two 9 inch round pans with Baker's Joy or use parchment to line pans (this cake is very gooey and you don't want it to stick).
2. Cream together egg yolks and the sugar until the yolk color lightens.
3. Stir in carrots, golden raisons, dried cranberries, nuts, flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and oil.
4. Mix together hot water and soda and stir into flour mixture.
5. Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy. Then fold egg white mixture into flour mixture.
6. Turn mixture into pan and bake for 45 minutes or.until done. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes in pan then turn cake our onto wire rack to finish cooling.
8. If using a 13X9 cake instead of the two 9 inch rounds, slice in half horizontally, to form two layers.
9. Make the cream cheese filling: soften the cream.cheese and beat in the sugar, mixing gradually, until the filling is smooth and fluffy.
10. Cover bottom layer with cream cheese filling, then cover cream cheese layer with jam.Be careful to spread only a thin layer of jam as you don't want it squishing out between the cake layers.
11. Cover inside of top layer with cream cheese and place the top layer of the cake carefully on top of the jam cream cheese side down.
12. To make the frosting: beat the whipping cream until slightly stiff, then add the sugar and vanilla and beat the mixture to stiff peaks. Frost the entire cake with whipped cream.