Carrot cake
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| Type | Loaf, sheet cake |
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| Main ingredients | Flour, eggs, sugar, carrots, almonds and baking powder |
| Variations | Hazelnuts, lemon, kirsch, cinnamon |
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Carrot cake is a cake that contains carrots mixed into the batter. The carrot softens in the cooking process, and the cake usually has a soft, dense texture.
Carrot cake closely resembles a quick bread in method of preparation (all the wet ingredients, such as the eggs and sugar, are mixed, all the dry ingredients are mixed, and the wet are then added to the dry) and final consistency is usually denser than a traditional cake and it has a coarser crumb.
Many carrot cake recipes include other ingredients, such as kirsch, cinnamon, nuts, pineapple or raisins. The most common icing on carrot cake is icing sugar and lemon juice or icing sugar and kirsch (Europe) and an icing with icing sugar, butter and cream cheese (United States).
As the cake is relatively moist, it can be conserved longer than many other types of cakes.
Carrot cake may be eaten plain, but it is commonly either glazed or topped with white icing or cream cheese icing and walnuts, usually chopped. It is often coated with icing or marzipan made to look like carrots. Carrot cake is popular in loaf, sheet cake and cupcake forms, and (in the United Kingdom, as well as North America) can be found pre-packaged at grocery stores, and fresh at bakeries. Some carrot cakes are even layered.
The origins of carrot cake are disputed. Recipes for carrot cake occur as early as 1827, in a French cookbook published in England. Another 19th century recipe comes from the housekeeping school of Kaiseraugst (Canton of Aargau, Switzerland). According to the Culinary Heritage of Switzerland, it is one of the most popular cakes in Switzerland, especially for the birthdays of children.
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Wikipedia