Carrot Cake Day

Carrot Cake Day is February 3rd

Carrot Cake Day is a day to celebrate all that you love about this holiday favorite! Whether it is Christmas or Easter, carrot cake is enjoyed by many for its moist texture, cream cheese frosting, and the pop of sweetness from raisins. 

What could be better than a cake containing a vegetable? A cake containing both a vegetable and a fruit! Carrots contain potassium (a necessary electrolyte), beta carotene (good for the eyes), and fiber (great for the digestive system). Enhancing the nutritious aspect of carrot cake is the addition of raisins. Raisins contain iron as well as fiber. Carrot cake could be considered as one of the healthier dessert items that appear around the holidays.

Raisins or no raisins

While the carrot is not an optional ingredient, the raisin is. Making the case for raisins is the added sweetness, the added fiber, and that raisins can be replaced by other candied fruits such as orange, lemon, or cherry. The case against raisins starts with the dislike of raisins. Whether it is the texture or the tartness, there are some who do not enjoy raisins in any context. In addition, there are those who appreciate the simple sweetness of the carrots with no competition between the flavors. 

I conducted an unofficial poll of my office mates, asking if they preferred carrot cake with raisins or carrot cake without raisins. Of the 17 people surveyed, five of them were strongly against the raisin. The remaining 12 all replied they would not eat a carrot cake without them. One thing they all agreed upon was the carrot cake itself. 

History of Carrot Cakes

Carrot Cakes have been around for a least hundreds of years. Sugar and other common sweeteners were often too expensive to be purchased by the everyday pastry lovers, they were considered luxuries for the rich and royal. Carrots contain a natural sugar more substantial than most other vegetables and they were inexpensive and easy to come across, so they were often used to make sweet pastries. They have been popular throughout Europe for a long time, becoming more common during times of war and rationing. They became trendy in the United States during the 1970s and they have continued to be loved in the US and around the world to this day.

How to Celebrate Carrot Cake Day

Share a carrot cake with friends, family, or co-workers. Hold a carrot cake contest, ask the entrants to make a carrot cake according to a recipe passed down over the generations. Or one of the many found on allrecipes.com. This site has an extensive listing of carrot cake recipes that contain a myriad of substitutable ingredients in addition to the raisin. But whatever you do, don’t forget the cream cheese frosting!