Carrot Cake – Baking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. If using bake even cake strips, start soaking three that will fit your 8″ pans. Line three 8” cake pans with parchment paper on all sides. Butter and flour well or coat with baking spray before setting aside. A lot of wet batter goes into the pans so it’s important to use proper baking release spray or butter and flour.
2. To a large mixing bowl, add and whisk together your sugar, canola oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and pineapple. 
3. Add your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon. 
4. Fold in your grated carrots and nuts before dividing and pouring batter evenly into 3 pans. The batter in each pan will weigh about 380 grams. If using, now wrap your damp cake strips around each of your pans before placing them in the oven. 
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you insert a toothpick into your cake and it comes out cleanly.
6. Let cakes cool in pans about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Carrot Cake Frosting Instructions

1. As your cake cools, place your room temperature butter, softened cream cheese, and Crisco into the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat until ingredients are well-combined, about 4 minutes. 
2. Stop mixer and add your vanilla extract and powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Start setting on low to gradually incorporate sugar and prevent it from flying everywhere. Then increase speed to fully combine ingredients.
3. Fit a piping bag with a large, round open piping tip. Spread the larger opening over the rim of a glass, and use a spatula to fill bag halfway with cream cheese frosting (it’s easier to maneuver and creates fewer hand cramps when the bag isn’t filled to the top!) from your mixing bowl. 

Carrot Cake Assembly Instructions

1. Pipe or spread a dollop of cream cheese frosting onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place. Set first cake layer on top of that.
2. Pipe roughly 20% of your frosting on top of the bottom layer and spread evenly with a cake spatula or large metal spoon. Place second cake layer on top of the first, repeating the same steps, and then add your third layer. Then, starting from the base of the cake and moving to the top, pipe a thick layer of frosting all around your cake’s sides and top.
3. Then place a cake scraper against the side of the cake and gently pull the cake around to smooth out bubbles in the frosting.
4. Fill in any gaps in the frosting with remaining cream cheese frosting.
5. If desired, gently press crushed nuts around the base of your cake and on top for extra crunch and flavor.