Why Do Store-Bought Carrot Cakes Always Have Those Little Carrots Iced On Them?

We've all seen them — the tell-tale carrot cakes in shop windows, with mini, piped frosting carrots on top. But what's the point of these little carrots if we already know we're ordering carrot cake?

As it turns out, according to an interview Stella Parks did with Vice, the reason for piping these carrots onto cakes is to provide a visual cue. It's also not a decorating technique reserved only for carrot cake. Many pastry chefs will add a sprig of mint to mint chocolate chip cake, a pumpkin shape to a pumpkin pie, and other similar decorations.

Although this tradition is often added to full cakes, it can also help people distinguish cake by the slice. That way, when looking at various options, they know which one is carrot, strawberry, and lemon, for example. Of course, this is just one theory, and to date, no one really knows where the idea for these tiny carrots adorning these cakes came from.

Although slightly contested, the history of carrot cake is thought to date back to the Middle Ages. Some historians believe the recipe originated in England when people used carrots to make sweets from carrots and sugar. These would then be used in puddings and pastries, which could be made over the fire. 

With the invention of modern ovens, however, cooks could get more creative, and soon, the carrot puddings and pastries evolved into a simple carrot cake. According to Naples News, by the 1700s, carrot cake had made its way to the Americas, where George Washington himself would enjoy a slice or two. Carrot cake didn't change much after that, except for adding cream cheese frosting in the 1960s.

It was around then that the little carrot decorations likely made their first appearance. Although cake decorating was a craft that had already been around for a few hundred years, in the '60s, homemakers had more time to decorate their cakes. They'd often use small marzipan carrots or bunnies on their cakes, including carrot cake. 

Marzipan wasn't always so easy to come by, though, and to get around the missing ingredient and keep their cakes looking cute, people would use piped icing to make those bunnies and carrots. That's what's thought to have eventually led to the modern iteration of carrot cake topped with piped icing carrots.

For one thing, although carrots are available year-round, carrot cake is often thought of as a fall dessert. This is thanks to the autumn spices — cinnamon and nutmeg — traditionally added to the cake to give it its iconic flavor. Add dried pumpkin seeds or nuts to the top of your carrot cake to play off the fall theme. It's a nice way to add to the harvest-season feeling.

Another option is to play on the spices in carrot cake. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg to the top as a garnish. This is an easy way to add some pizazz, different from piping a carrot on the top.

Finally, you could also play with candy corn or gummy carrots to decorate your cake. These are far easier than piping carrots on your cake but still give you that classic look. Whichever you choose, you're bound to have a tasty cake that looks great!