Bake This Carrot Cake Of Your Childhood To Commemorate Carrot Cake Day

Do you remember the desserts of your childhood? In the 1960s, there were silvanas and pineapple upside-down cake. In the 1970's, brownies and sans rival. The 80's saw the rise of black forest cake and chocolate mousse, and the 1990's brought cheesecake and rocky road. We all have sweet memories of cakes baked by our moms or bought from bakeshops. To commemorate its 50 years in the food industry, Maya published Simply Delicious: 50 Years of Good Food which offers a nostalgic peek into the treasure trove of recipes Maya has shared throughout the years.

Carrot cake is one of those throwback recipes that our moms used to bake for us. Invented in the 1960's in Texas, this vegetable-turned-dessert became a favorite in the United States and in the Philippines too. Adapted from the cookbook, the carrot cake recipe below is a fun and easy way to relive our childhood days and to celebrate Carrot Cake Day!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Serves 8 to 10

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups finely grated carrots, plus extra for topping
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line the sides and bottom of a 9-inch round pan. Set aside.

2. Sift together the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Add oil, egg, carrots, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes at medium speed until moistened.

3. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until done. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool thoroughly then frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below).

4. To decorate, sprinkle extra grated carrots on top of the cake.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• orange and green food coloring, optional

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until soft and smooth.

2. Add confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until light and fluffy. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

3. If you want to add piped carrots as decoration, set aside 1/4 of the frosting. Divide reserved frosting into 2. Color one portion green and the other orange. Transfer to individual piping bags and use to decorate the cake with carrot shapes.

COOK’S NOTE:

If you’re pressed for time or don’t have all the ingredients, just substitute the dry ingredients with 2 packs of Maya Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Mix (230 grams). Then adjust the measurements of the wet ingredients to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/2 cup water, and 2 eggs.

A longer version of this article first appeared in FOOD Magazine, Issue 1, 2016

Recipe adapted from Simply Delicious: 50 Years of Good Food from Maya

Photos by Paulo Valenzuela

Food styling by Tina Concepcion Diaz