The origin of carrot cake: from rationing cake to Paris café star
Published on
How a vegetable cake became one of Paris's most sought-after desserts: a long story of making do, from carrots as sweetener to cream cheese frosting.
Why did a cake made with vegetables become a café favourite? Its story mixes scarcity, ingenuity and travel.
Here we trace the origin of carrot cake, carefully, and see why it belongs in an anti-waste market canteen in Montmartre.
In short
Carrot cake has no single origin. Food historians link it to European root-vegetable puddings, when sugar was costly and carrots sweetened. British wartime rationing revived it, the United States shaped the modern version with nuts, spices and cream cheese frosting, and coffee shops brought it to Paris, often less sweet and more spiced.
A carrot in a cake: an old European idea
Long before café counters, Europe was already cooking sweets with root vegetables.
Medieval puddings sweetened with root vegetables
Food historians often mention dense puddings built on carrots or parsnips, distant ancestors rather than the cake we know.
Why carrots: natural sugar when sugar was expensive
Sugar was a costly import; the naturally sweet carrot brought sweetness, moisture and colour out of necessity.
WWII and rationing: carrots to the rescue
With war, sugar became scarce again and home cooks relearned substitution.
Britain and wartime carrot recipes
Under rationing, carrots are often said to have been promoted in sweet recipes. Historians suggest the period popularised rather than invented the idea.
A cake born of making do
Waste nothing, use an abundant vegetable, give pleasure with little: an early form of anti-waste baking.
This period left a lasting idea: carrot cake can be genuinely good.
American carrot cake: nuts, spices and cream cheese frosting
The United States turned a cake of necessity into a festive dessert.
Its rise in the US in the second half of the 20th century
Oil, walnuts or pecans and gentle spices enriched the recipe as it spread through family cookbooks and bakeries.
Cream cheese frosting: how it became inseparable
Tangy cream cheese frosting became the norm; dating it precisely is difficult, so we won't invent a year.
What sets the American version apart
- Oil rather than butter.
- Walnuts or pecans.
- A generous cream cheese frosting.
Carrot cake, carotte cake, gâteau à la carotte: one dessert, several names
In France all three names mean the same cake. We covered the names in our homemade carrot cake recipe.
Carrot cake arrives in Paris: from coffee shops to local canteens
The wave of Anglo-Saxon cafés and brunch
Coffee shops and the brunch trend made carrot cake a Paris habit.
What Parisians kept, and what they adapted
Paris kept the carrot, the soft crumb and the frosting, but often made it less sweet and more spiced. For texture, see a truly moist carrot cake, and to compare addresses, where to find the best carrot cake in Paris.
From rationing to anti-waste: why carrot cake belongs at Berchoux
A cake that celebrates a market vegetable
Carrot cake's story matches the anti-waste market cooking Berchoux has practised since 2020.
In this anti-waste canteen in Montmartre, produce is cooked on site so nothing is lost. Read more on how to cook without waste.
Chef Julie Berchoux's world-famous signature slice
Chef Julie Berchoux brings 30 years of starred kitchens (Robuchon, Ducasse, Taillevent, Fauchon).
Her carrot cake is praised on Google, TripAdvisor and in the English-language press; Google rating 4.7/5. Discover our carrot cake in Montmartre, and read chef Julie Berchoux's career.
FAQ
FAQ on the origin of carrot cake
Where does carrot cake come from?
From European root-vegetable sweets, British wartime recipes and its modern American version.
Is carrot cake British or American?
Both: Britain popularised it, the US shaped today's frosted version.
Why put carrots in a cake?
Carrots are naturally sweet and kept cakes moist when sugar was scarce.
Since when has cream cheese frosting existed?
No precise date; it became standard in the US in the second half of the 20th century.
Is carrot cake an anti-waste dessert?
By its history, yes; at Berchoux it is part of anti-waste market cooking since 2020.
Where to taste carrot cake in Montmartre?
At Berchoux, 105 rue Caulaincourt, near Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro, eat in or take away.
In conclusion: a make-do cake turned signature
When sugar runs short, carrots take over: that idea crossed centuries and continents.
Taste the signature slice at 105 rue Caulaincourt (Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro), eat in or take away, or add it to a catering order.
Go further
From history to tasting: discover our carrot cake Montmartre, the signature slice made on site.