Carrot Cake History

carrots have been used in sweet cakes since the medieval period, during which time sweeteners were scarce and expensive, while carrots, which contain more sugar than any other vegetable besides the sugar beet, were much easier to come by and were used to make sweet desserts. The popularity of carrot cake was likely revived in Britain because of rationing during the Second World War.

carrot cakes first became commonly available in restaurants and cafeterias in the United States in the early 1960s. They were at first a novelty item, but people liked them so much that carrot cake became standard dessert fare. In 2005, the American-based Food Network listed carrot cake, with it's cream -cheese icing, as number five of the top five fad foods of the 1970s.

carrot cake may be eaten plain, but it is commonly either glazed or topped with white icing or cream cheese icing and walnuts, often chopped. Often they are decorated with frosting made to look like carrots. They are popular in loaf, sheet cake and cupcake form, and (in the United Kingdom as well as the United States) can be found pre-packaged at grocery stores, and fresh bakeries.

Many carrot cake recipes include optional ingredients, such as nut, raisins, pineapple, or coconut.