Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease your three 9-inch round cake pans with butter or oil spray. Line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper to ensure the delicate cake layers do not stick.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until perfectly blended. Using a whisk helps remove any large flour lumps and ensures the cinnamon is spread very evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the vegetable oil and four large eggs together using your electric hand mixer. Continue mixing on a medium speed until the liquid looks very smooth, pale yellow, and slightly frothy today.

Slowly add the dry flour mixture into the wet egg mixture while keeping your mixer on a low speed. Stir just until the white flour disappears so you do not overwork the batter and make it tough.

Fold in the three cups of finely grated carrots and the vanilla extract using a large rubber spatula gently. If you like a little extra crunch, this is the perfect time to add your chopped pecans too.

If you love the taste of pecans in baked goods, you might also enjoy them starring front and center in this irresistible Southern-style pecan pie.

Divide the thick batter evenly between your three prepared cake pans and smooth the tops with your rubber spatula. Bake for thirty to thirty-five minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry.

Remove the pans from the oven and let them sit for ten minutes before flipping them onto cooling racks. Allow the cake layers to cool completely to room temperature before you even think about adding the frosting.

Beat the softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract together in a clean bowl until the mixture is light. Gradually add the pound of powdered sugar and beat until the frosting is very thick and very creamy.

If you are a fan of this kind of thick, cloud-like cream cheese topping, you will love how it is used in this deeply spiced pumpkin cheesecake as well.

Place one cake layer on a plate and spread a thick layer of frosting over the top surface. Repeat this with the second and third layers until you have a beautiful, tall stack of spicy carrot cake.

Spread the remaining cream cheese frosting over the sides and top of the entire cake using an offset spatula. You can press extra chopped pecans into the sides for a professional look and a very delicious crunch.