• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Grease and flour the inside of three 8- or 9-inch round cake pans. Non-stick baking spray with flour works well for this. If you are using butter and flour, a parchment circle added to the bottom of each pan will help prevent sticking. Grease and flour the top of the parchment paper as well.
• Add damp Even Bake Cake Strips around each pan if desired. They help cakes rise evenly, which can eliminate the need to level the cakes during assembly.

Bake the Cakes:

• Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
  2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the oil, sugar and eggs, beating the batter after each egg is added.
  1½ cups vegetable oil, 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs
• Add the dry ingredients and mix well.
  
• Stir in the carrots and pineapple until fully combined.
  2 cups grated carrots, 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple with juice
  
• Evenly divide the batter among the pans.
  
• Bake the cakes for 40 minutes or until baked through and a toothpick comes out without gooey batter on it.
• Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes.
  
• Unmold the cakes onto cooling racks to cool to room temperature.
  

Make the Frosting:

• Beat together the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 2 to 4 minutes.
  24 ounces cream cheese, 15 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons sour cream, 2¼ teaspoons vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon table salt
  
• Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low. Slowly add the powdered sugar, and beat until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes.
  12 ounces powdered sugar
  
• If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, let it chill in the refrigerator until it thickens enough to frost the cake.

Assemble the Cake

• Place a 10-inch round cake board on top of a spinning cake stand. Spread some frosting in the center of the cake board.
  
• Place a cake layer on top of the cake board.
  
• Use a large offset spatula to spread an even layer of frosting over the first layer.
  
• Add the second cake layer on top and repeat with the frosting and the third cake layer.
  
• Cover the entire cake with frosting and use a metal cake scraper to smooth while spinning the cake. Add more frosting to filling gaps and smooth with metal scraper again. Continue doing this until cake is straight with clean lines.
  

Decorate the Cake

• Transfer some cream cheese icing to a disposable piping bag fitted with a large star tip, such as a 6B. Pipe a border of mounds around the top and bottom of the cake.
  
• Add a small amount of cream cheese frosting to each of two bowls. Tint one with orange food coloring gel and the other with green.
  
• Transfer the icing to disposable piping bags fitted with small round piping tips, such as #2. Using plastic tip couplers will ensure the tips stay in place and allow switching tips easily if you discover the tip is too small or too large for your design.
  
• Use the orange frosting to pipe small carrots scattered over the top and sides of the cake. Use the green frosting to pipe 3 small carrot fronds on top of each carrot.
  
• Sprinkle cinnamon on the decorative star piping around the top and bottom borders of the cake to give it a little contrast.