Carrot cake, moist, sweet, and topped with creamy frosting. Today, it's a classic on every coffee table. But behind this popular cake lies a surprisingly exciting history, ranging from medieval sweetening tricks to World War II propaganda to purple carrots. And did you know that there is a National Carrot Cake Day?
You can find out all about this in my article, and I'd also like to share a little personal story with you about my carrot cake.
Carrot cake is a prime example of how necessity, creativity, and regional ingredients can become a culinary classic. So let's go further back in history, because carrot cake actually originated in the Middle Ages. That's when the story began, when sugar was very rare and expensive. People used what they had: carrots. These roots were not only cheap, but also surprisingly sweet. So they ended up in porridge, pudding, and eventually in cakes.
The first documented form of carrot cake originated in Switzerland, more precisely in the canton of Aargau, also affectionately known as “Rüeblikanton” (carrot canton). In 1892, the first recipe for the famous carrot cake was published there in the domestic science school.
In the 1960s, carrot cake made its way across the Atlantic to the USA. There, it was refined with cream cheese frosting and became a favorite among hippies, housewives, and amateur bakers.
During World War II, carrot cake became popular in Great Britain, not out of enjoyment, but out of necessity. Sugar was rationed, but carrots were plentiful, so carrots were used as a substitute. The British government even went so far as to claim that carrots improved night vision. This slogan helped to supply the population with vegetables. And so necessity became a virtue.
Who would have thought that a vegetable would be so celebrated? But on February 3, fans around the world celebrate this juicy classic. Whether vegan, gluten-free, with zucchini, as cheesecake, cake pops, or made from a completely different recipe, pause for a moment when you eat your next slice of carrot cake and think, “You are more than just a cake. You are history, and you are damn delicious.”
My dad wasn't a big fan of sweets. At least, there was rarely any chocolate, cookies, or cakes in his kitchen. When we were kids, we ate fruit fresh from the garden or sometimes got fresh bread with butter and a little sugar, and we were really happy with that.
I was all the more astonished when I once baked him a carrot cake for his birthday. I thought it would be a nice gesture, and that he would probably politely try a piece and leave the rest for us. I was wrong.
There were four of us, and we each ate a piece. The next morning, I noticed that the whole cake was almost gone. When I asked what had happened to it, my dad grinned and said, “Don't make it so delicious, then I won't eat so much of it.” That sentence has stayed with me to this day. I was so happy about it that I brought him carrot cake every now and then. And every time it was the same picture: his beaming face and an empty plate. Down to the last crumb.
Thank you for these wonderful moments with you.
In loving memory of my dad.
300 g whole wheat cake flour
60 g finely grated hazelnuts
60 g finely grated almonds
15 g baking powder
50 g sugar
100 g carrots
200 g powdered sugar
100 g raw marzipan
1 jar of apricot jam
Salt
Cinnamon
1 tablespoon hot water
200 ml Vanilla soy drink
60 ml neutral oil
80 ml soda water
1 lemon
Butter and breadcrumbs for the pan
Almond flakes and marzipan carrots
for decoration
1) Grease the bottom and sides of your springform pan (26 cm diameter) well with room-temperature butter. Cover everything well with breadcrumbs.
Backofen auf 180°C vorheizen.
2) Put the flour, hazelnuts, almonds, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and mix together. Pour the vanilla soy milk, oil, and soda water into a container and carefully stir into the flour mixture until everything is well combined. Add the finely grated carrots, stir again and pour into the prepared baking tin. Smooth the top and place in the preheated oven. Bake for approx. 45 minutes. Test with a skewer and adjust the baking time if necessary.
3) Allow the finished cake to cool thoroughly, remove it from the tin, and then cut it horizontally in half. Remove the top, spread a little apricot jam on the bottom half, and replace the top. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam on the remaining cake and allow to set slightly.
4) Sift the powdered sugar, mix with lemon juice and water to form a thick mixture, and set aside.
Roll out the marzipan with powdered sugar, cut it to the size of the cake (use the bottom of your springform pan to help). Remove excess powdered sugar with a dry pastry brush and place on top of the cake.
5) Briefly stir the icing and pour it over the cake. Allow to set for a few minutes, then sprinkle the edge of the cake with almond flakes and decorate the rest of the cake with marzipan carrots.
When you hear the word “cake,” you rarely think of “healthy.” And yet carrot cake has a few surprising tricks up its sleeve, or rather, in its carrots. Because there's more to this sweet classic than just flour and sugar.
The beta-carotene contained in carrots, for example, is good for the eyes and the immune system. Modern versions of carrot cake use ingredients that are not only delicious but also nutritious. Almonds, dates, coconut oil, wholemeal flour, cinnamon, ginger, and more. Healthy versions with less sugar and more fiber can significantly improve nutritional values and still taste wonderful.
No matter which recipe you choose, sometimes cake can just be cake, without the health police pointing their fingers at us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.