National Carrot Cake Day on February 3rd, celebrates one of America’s favorite flavors of cake. In the carrot cake, we get to eat our cake and veggies, too!
Carrot Cake owes its origins to Medieval Pudding
Carrot cake has always been a perennial favorite, but did you know that this delightful confection dates all the way back to the middle ages? Most food historians agree that carrot cake evolved from puddings eaten in medieval Europe. Wait… carrot pudding? Yes! During a time when sugar was scarce, people often relied on using naturally sweet vegetables like carrots as a substitute sweetener in their desserts, often in the form of a “carrot pudding.” This pudding was likely steamed or boiled, and recipes with similar elements can be traced back to the 10th century in Switzerland.
The Evolution of Carrot Cake
Over centuries, this carrot pudding recipe made its way into cake form. One of the earliest known recipes for a carrot-based dessert is an English recipe from 1591 for a “pudding in a Carret root” which included ingredients like carrots, raisins, spices, and breadcrumbs. In the 19th century, French chef Antoine Beauvilliers published a recipe for “Gâteau de Carottes” which was popularized in cookbooks of the time.
During World War II, the carrot and its cake became ever popular in the United Kingdom, as government leaders enforced food rationing and encouraged residents to grow healthy produce like carrots, which became valuable and were used in many ways, including making moist and sweet cakes. Some reports indicate that during the Blitzkrieg, the British Ministry insisted to the public that the success of British gunners was linked to their consumption of carrots. Citizens of England began putting carrots in every dish they could dream up, including cake.
Carrot Cake Today
The modern version of carrot cake, with its signature cream cheese frosting, is widely considered to have become popular in the United States during the 20th century. In the mid-1900s, the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Co. advertised a recipe for carrot cake using its cream cheese as a topping. By the 1970s, Americans considered the cake a “health food” and began consuming it en masse. Though we now understand the cake as a bona fide indulgence rather than part of a balanced diet, carrot cake continues to be devoured by all ages throughout multiple countries.
How to Observe #CarrotCakeDay
Why, head down to your local bakery and have some, of course! Or why not bake one of your own? Here’s a fantastic five-star “Best Carrot Cake” recipe (with video) from Sugar Spun Run for you to try out in your home kitchen.
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Photo Credit: Olena Rudo / Shutterstock.com