Recipe: National Carrot Cake Day

It is very plausible that modern day carrot cake is the offspring of the multicultural dish “carrot pudding.” Carrot pudding is made worldwide and, depending upon the culture, the dish can be savory or sweet. At one time, sweeteners for cooking were very difficult to source or extremely cost prohibitive. Carrots, with their high sugar content, were natural substitutions in cooking a variety of savory and sweet dishes.

Even in modern times, carrots have stepped in during times of struggles. During the World War II, carrot cake became very popular in England due to commodities rationing. In the early 1960s, carrot cake became a popular novelty dessert in the United States, but it quickly became popular as more and more Americans experienced the unique flavors. Recently, it was named as one the top ten desserts in the United States by the Huffington Post.

Carrot cake is not just for dessert. Not only does the great flavor and moist mix create a fantastic slice of cake, but the mix can be made into a sweet breakfast treat.

Carrot Cake Waffles with Sour Cream Drizzle and Toasted Pecans

Ingredients

1 box Carrot Cake Mix
4 ounces All-Purpose (AP) Flour
Salt, pinch
2 each Whole Eggs
20 ounces Whole Milk
2 ounces Vegetable Oil
2 ounces Sour Cream
4 ounces Cream Cheese
8 ounces Powdered Sugar
4 ounces Chopped Pecans

Method

Preheat the waffle iron.
In a bowl, combine milk, eggs and vegetable oil; whip to incorporate.
Using a sifter, mix and sift the cake mix with AP flour and salt.
Combine dry mix with liquid mix, and stir until completely incorporated with no lumps.
Set mix aside and let it rest for 2 minutes.
Pour mixture into waffle iron, and follow waffle iron standard instructions.
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream and cream cheese; stir until fully incorporated.
Slowly add powdered sugar to sour cream cheese mixture while stirring, to avoid lumps.
Remove waffle from the iron, and plate.
Drizzle sour cream cheese over the top and garnish with toasted pecans.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this recipe or flight crew culinary training, contact me at rpeterson@airculinaire.com. For questions about in-flight catering, contact weborders@airculinaire.com.