Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots (10 oz. shredded carrots)
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting:

1 1/2 (12 oz.) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
few drops vanilla extract or rum
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Remove butter and cream cheese from refrigerator and allow to warm up to room temperature 30 minutes in advance. Wash, peel, and grate the carrots (it helps to use the fine grating disc of a food processor). Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in cinnamon (you don't want to get the cinnamon in the sifter!)

Beat the eggs, add the sugar. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture gradually. Add oil and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute at medium speed of electric mixer.

Using a wooden spoon (or spatula) stir in the grated carrots and the crushed pineapple. Mix well and turn out into 3 buttered and floured round cake pans.

Bake at 325°F for approximately 25 minutes or until cake is no longer moist in center and may begin to pull away from edges of pans. (The toothpick test may not work on this cake!).

To prepare frosting, beat cream cheese with butter and a few drops vanilla extract or rum; when completely mixed, beat in the confectioners' sugar until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. Fold in nuts. Spread on when cake is cool.

Submitted by: Big Daddy