Given that carrots are a vegetable - and not one that is merely treated like a vegetable, but one that actually is - rather than a fruit, they may seem an odd choice to make a cake from, and one that is a sweet dessert cake.
Carrot cakes are made from mixing carrot in with a batter which results in a cake rather like a quick bread. The baking process softens the carrot and the resulting cake is moist and will keep longer than most. The cake itself is usually glazed or topped with something, rather than plain. Other ingredients may be added to the cake too.
The reason for using carrots is sugar. The portion of the carrot eaten, the orange taproot, stores a lot of sugar. In fact, carrots have one of the highest percentages of sugar of any vegetable. Sugar beet has more, and that vegetable is grown for its sugar content. Consequently, carrots are very sweet and the sugar is what makes them a suitable ingredient in a sweet cake.
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