3-Layer Carrot Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

This is one of my all-time favorite carrot cake recipes. I inherited this recipe from a close friend about 12 years ago and it's still a favorite!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 844 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 ½ cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 cup corn oil
• 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 pound cooked carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened pineapple, drained
• 1 ¼ cups butter, at room temperature
• 5 ⅔ cups confectioners' sugar

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with wax paper; grease wax paper with butter.

Step 2

Combine cooked carrots, flour, white sugar, walnuts, pineapple, corn oil, eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 3

Pour carrot mixture into a food processor, and blend, working in batches if necessary, until smooth. Divide batter among prepared cake pans.

Step 4

Bake cakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Step 5

Beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cup butter, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract together in a large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting is smooth.

Step 6

Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate and spread with 1/4 of the frosting. Place a second cake layer on top of the first; spread 1/4 of the frosting on top. Place third cake layer on top; frost top and sides with remaining 1/2 of the frosting.