1-Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans to keep the batter from sticking.

2-In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: 3 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of coarse kosher salt.

3-In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients: 1 ½ cups of dark brown sugar, 1 ½ cups of apple butter, ½ cup of vegetable oil, ⅔ cup of whole milk, ¼ cup of dark spiced rum, 3 large lightly beaten eggs, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.

4-Gently add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, whisking just until combined to avoid toughening the batter, then fold in the ½ cup of raisins.

5-Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and place them on the center rack of the oven.

6-Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool on a rack, loosely covered to keep them moist.

7-For the buttercream, beat 2 cups of softened unsalted butter on medium speed for 1 minute. On low speed, add 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of meringue powder (if using), ¼ teaspoon of coarse kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon of ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract; mix well.

8-Beat on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes until fluffy, adding 2-4 tablespoons of milk or cream only if needed to reach the right consistency. Use this to fill, stack, and frost the cooled cakes.