History of the Carrot Cake
In doing a tiny bit of research on the origins of carrot cake, it seems most sources agree that carrot cake originated from Carrot Pudding during medieval times. Some Carrot Pudding recipes are dated around the early 1500’s. During these times certain ingredients were difficult to find. Carrots being naturally sweet were used in many types of savory recipes. Why not put them in a dessert pudding?
From what I could find, the first reference to Carrot Cake is attributed to George Washington in 1783. The story goes that George was served a Carrot Tea Cake at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan, NY. The recipe for the Carrot Tea Cake is very similar to my Grandmother’s recipe. Simply put, carrots, eggs, oil, sugar, cinnamon… pretty much in line with a classic carrot cake.
Grandma Irby in the Kitchen
We called Grandma Irby “Monnie”. The only specific story behind why we called her Monnie is that she wanted it that way. Dad says she was a very good cook because she had to be. Her husband, whom we called Uncle Bill, was a writer who spent all day pecking away at the typewriter. Come 5 o’clock, he expected dinner on the table. That’s one way to become a great cook!
Monnie was known for many specialty dishes. One of Uncle Bill’s favorites was her Spaghetti and Meatballs. One of my Dad’s favorite dishes was Hash. She would take roast beef and cook it with gravy, onions, and carrots and serve it over grits. “Beef was always of particularly good quality at our house,” shares my Dad. “Uncle Bill had a butcher in town that would age the meat just for him. At least 3 times per week, he would bring home a couple of good steaks.”
Monnie loved to fish, too. It is no surprise that pretty much everyone in our family likes to fish. Dad said, “I remember many times when my mom would go out to our lake cabin, catch some fish, come home, clean the fish in the kitchen sink, and fry them for dinner that night.” Then, he continued, “She would clean it all up!” Another one of Dad’s favorites was her Tea Cakes. Sadly, no one in the family can seem to get the Tea Cake recipe right.
The Carrot Cake Recipe
Monnie’s Carrot Cake recipe is over 100 years old! This cake has been made by countless numbers of individuals and families for all occasions. One of my favorite memories is when I made this Carrot Cake for a friend’s 50th birthday party. For the party, we made the cake as a single layer sheet cake instead of the traditional 3 layer cake. One of my relatives, Aunt Margie, was at my house helping me make it. No one actually saw her do it, but we do know that a gap about a finger thickness mysteriously appeared all the way around the edge of the cake the next morning. Hmmmmm?
My niece, Briana, made this cake for a Charity Bake Sale. The cake sold for nearly $400!
Monnie’s recipe is in my cookbook, Cooking With Susan Southern Family Favorites. You can order one here and I will be happy to send you an autographed copy.
My version of the recipe, featured here, is slightly different than Monnie’s. I add a hint of nutmeg. And, sometimes, I add a little orange zest. One other tidbit; I make 1 1/2 times the frosting portion of the recipe. See the HELPFUL TIPS section.
