Old Fashioned Carrot Layer Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 cups finely grated carrots
• 1/4 cup well-drained crushed pineapple
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Icing

• 1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8 inch cake pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, blend sugar and oil. Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, soda, and baking powder. Fold into the batter in the large bowl.
4. Stir in carrots, pineapple, and walnuts to make a thick batter.
5. Pour into baking pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, until cake tests done. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
6. To make icing, Combine all ingrediesnts with an electric mixer until creamed and well combined.
7. To make the carrot designs, remove small amounts of icing to two bowls, with food coloring make one orange and one green. spoon icing in carrot shaped on finished cake.
8. To serve, place one layer of cake on a serving plate and spread a thin layer of icing over then top with second cake layer. Evenly spready icing over top and sides of cake.