Carrot Cake

This is a dessert that I love only when it’s right in front of me. When I think of a sweet treat, it usually consists of something chocolatey. But when carrot cake is in the vicinity, I gravitate toward it with all its cinnamon-raisiny goodness on the inside and its ooey-gooey cream cheesiness on the outside.

According to The World Carrot Museum based in the U.K., early renditions of carrot cake date back to the Middle Ages when sweeteners were hard to come by. Carrots were used instead for their natural sugar content. (Not unlike using sweet potatoes in a pie for the same reason.) Often, carrots were baked into puddings and, in many cases, puddings were more solid like a cake in early versions. The pudding then graduated to actual cake batter. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The thing about carrot cake that I think makes it delectable is two-fold: cake and frosting. The cake should be more like a spice cake with carrots. Adding the cinnamon and raisins just lends itself to being a spice cake base. Some recipes call for nutmeg or ginger. If you felt like it, I’m sure you could add ground cloves or even a little cardamom. Some recipes add pineapple or banana. But it’s the addition of carrots—along with a good douse of vegetable oil—that ensures that you’ll get a moist batter.

So, when did it get a cream cheese frosting? Many historians seem to agree that it started in the U.S. in the 1960s. Why? Who knows why they did what they did in the 1960s…

Here’s a recipe for carrot cake cupcakes. I like the cupcake idea as sometimes an entire slice of cake with all that cream cheese frosting can be a little much. This makes it a little more bite-sized.

For the cake:

2 c. sugar

1 1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 c. flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

2 c. grated carrots

1 c. golden raisins

1 c. chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick of butter, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together. Add the eggs. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, sifting the flour. With a mixer, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Once combined, add the carrots, raisins, and walnuts until completely incorporated.

Line two muffin tins with liners. Fill each liner 2/3 up. Bake for 10 minutes at 400, then drop down to 350 for the remaining 25-30 minutes. 

For the frosting, use a mixer to beat cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Then add the sugar and blend thoroughly. Frost cupcakes generously when cool.

Makes 24 cupcakes.