Carrot Cake- the forgotten hero
I really feel bad for carrot cake sometimes… Try to follow me here.
Think about it. If a restaurant offers carrot cake on the dessert menu, you have to just chuckle to yourself because NO ONE will order carrot cake against some kind of chocolate mountain or fruity delight.
The chocolate mountain deluxe is for young chocolate-crazed women (like myself) or children. The fruit cobbler or apple sizzle is for older people with less of a sweet tooth. Then, I’m sure they have a cookie deal for kids and young men. And then of course there is cheesecake for all ages.
But poor carrot cake doesn’t have a main audience. Kids don’t like it because it has the word “carrot” in its name. Also, it has raisins in it- so all raisin haters (like myself) tend to glance over it.
People easily overlook its cinaminny-spice flavor with sweet cream cheese icing when a menu throws in a chocolate meltdown or ice cream cookie. It just can’t compete with those super-sweet, regular menu items.
When I think of how easily carrot cake is misunderstood, I think of Uncle Jesse from Full House. He understood how overlooked carrot cake could be. Let me explain.
In the episode when Uncle Jesse and Rebecca are trying to choose their wedding cake, Uncle Jesse brought a bunch of little samples of different chocolate cakes. Along with all the chocolate cakes, Uncle Jesse chose to include carrot cake in the samples b/c he felt “bad for it. It was just sitting there all alone.” Later Michelle decided to climb onto the table and stuff her mouth with all the cake, and everyone laughed (another example of over-indulged American youth, but I’m getting away from myself).
It was that moment, that Uncle Jesse and I truly understood each other. Of course no one picks carrot cake for a wedding, just like no one picks carrot cake for dessert when in a line-up with the more common dessert staples.
I think there are many things in this world that are like carrot cake. For example, that ugly shirt you see at Wal-Mart or Good Will that is SO UGLY you just have to buy it. Part of you just feels kinda bad for the ugly shirt. It never asked to be ugly. It’s just waiting on the shelf feeling unwanted and tacky. But you buy it because you feel you can provide beauty to the shirt by being proud to wear it (or maybe that’s just me…).
But carrot cake is the one thing in this world that you can practically count on being the least ordered dessert menu item in the U.S., or the least eaten at a party because some jerk put a red-velvet cake and a chocolate cake right next to it. So next time you see carrot cake, try some… Even if you don’t like raisins, like me. You never know what chef you might have made smile that day or what carrot cake you might have made feel pretty again.
Too bad fruitcake isn’t added to dessert menus- maybe carrot cake could climb up a notch.
Think about it. If a restaurant offers carrot cake on the dessert menu, you have to just chuckle to yourself because NO ONE will order carrot cake against some kind of chocolate mountain or fruity delight.
The chocolate mountain deluxe is for young chocolate-crazed women (like myself) or children. The fruit cobbler or apple sizzle is for older people with less of a sweet tooth. Then, I’m sure they have a cookie deal for kids and young men. And then of course there is cheesecake for all ages.
But poor carrot cake doesn’t have a main audience. Kids don’t like it because it has the word “carrot” in its name. Also, it has raisins in it- so all raisin haters (like myself) tend to glance over it.
People easily overlook its cinaminny-spice flavor with sweet cream cheese icing when a menu throws in a chocolate meltdown or ice cream cookie. It just can’t compete with those super-sweet, regular menu items.
When I think of how easily carrot cake is misunderstood, I think of Uncle Jesse from Full House. He understood how overlooked carrot cake could be. Let me explain.
In the episode when Uncle Jesse and Rebecca are trying to choose their wedding cake, Uncle Jesse brought a bunch of little samples of different chocolate cakes. Along with all the chocolate cakes, Uncle Jesse chose to include carrot cake in the samples b/c he felt “bad for it. It was just sitting there all alone.” Later Michelle decided to climb onto the table and stuff her mouth with all the cake, and everyone laughed (another example of over-indulged American youth, but I’m getting away from myself).
It was that moment, that Uncle Jesse and I truly understood each other. Of course no one picks carrot cake for a wedding, just like no one picks carrot cake for dessert when in a line-up with the more common dessert staples.
I think there are many things in this world that are like carrot cake. For example, that ugly shirt you see at Wal-Mart or Good Will that is SO UGLY you just have to buy it. Part of you just feels kinda bad for the ugly shirt. It never asked to be ugly. It’s just waiting on the shelf feeling unwanted and tacky. But you buy it because you feel you can provide beauty to the shirt by being proud to wear it (or maybe that’s just me…).
But carrot cake is the one thing in this world that you can practically count on being the least ordered dessert menu item in the U.S., or the least eaten at a party because some jerk put a red-velvet cake and a chocolate cake right next to it. So next time you see carrot cake, try some… Even if you don’t like raisins, like me. You never know what chef you might have made smile that day or what carrot cake you might have made feel pretty again.
Too bad fruitcake isn’t added to dessert menus- maybe carrot cake could climb up a notch.
For the record, I love carrot cake. Also, my uncle had a carrot cake wedding cake, and it rocked.
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