Take ¼ of the frosting and place on one layer of the cake. Spread evenly over the cake with an offset spatula or knife.
Place the second layer of your carrot cake evenly on top of the frosting.
Repeat the step above with ¼ of the frosting and spreading it evenly over the cake.
Now add your third layer of cake on top.
Add the remaining frosting to the top of the cake.
Gently spread the frosting over the top of cake working from the middle out to the edges.
Gently push the extra frosting from the top of the cake over on to the sides.
Frost the sides of the cake until all the sides are covered in frosting, being careful not to drag the cake itself into the frosting.
Once the sides are all frosted, gently scrape away a little of the frosting from sides until you can start to see the carrot cake.
Touch up any imperfect frosting areas on your cake.
Now add your toasted walnuts to the center of your cake.
1 cup toasted walnut halves
Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Notes
Baking temperature is in Fahrenheit.
You can make this cake ahead of time (up to 2 days ahead), including the frosting on the cake and store it in the refrigerator. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature by letting it sit on the counter for about an hour.
It is great both ways!
To make carrot cake cupcakes.
First you will need to half the recipe (this will yield 12 cupcakes). To do this easily just toggle the serving size in the recipe from 8 slices to 4 slices.
You will follow the recipe the same way and instead of pouring the batter into 3 cake pans, just add the batter to a prepared cupcake tin.
For the baking time, bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out smooth.
To Freeze Leftover Cake:
The first thing I like to do is gently place some plastic wrap around my cake as the first layer of protection against freezer burn. Then I find a container that fits the carrot cake nicely without pressing on the top or sides and place it upright in my freezer.
It stores well without any freezer burn issues for up to one month this way.
To thaw, remove the cake from the freezer and place in the fridge overnight to thaw gently.
