EHhhh!!?? Carrot Cake?!?

By Donnie | Articles

I'd slap Santa Claus for a slice of this stuff about now. I'd apologize immediately afterwards, though.

I was talking about different types of desserts in one of my kids classes today, and I was shocked at the response to carrot cake. When I told the kids what it was, the response from most of the kids was “Ehhhhh!!!” (surprise). Followed by a chorus of “Iyadas” (いやだ) which is what I like to think of as a Japanese　“Hell naw!” But I guess it makes sense though. Vegetables and cake aren’t the first connections that I’d put together in my mind. For the rest of the day I was curious to find out just how many people at work had ever tried carrot cake. Much to my surprise, of all the staff and students that I asked, I’d say 98% had never tried carrot cake before! びっくりした！

After thinking about it a while, though, I wonder how popular carrot cake would actually be in Japan, it’s just so sweet, it’s kind of heavy (as far as cakes go) and so fattening. It’s the complete opposite of the standard Japanese okashi. This is really something to think about though. With American fast food restaurants like KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, etc., really making their mark here in Japan, maybe it’s only a matter of time before Japan’s tastes change.

I know it’s not healthy, but Christmas and carrot cake kind of go together in the Ash Family household stateside. As for now, though, I think that pretty much dashes my hopes of getting a good homemade slice of carrot cake this holiday season…gosh darn it!!! I LOVE carrot cake, that moist nutty bread, that sweet goodness, that artery-clogging, sweet to my soul, cream cheese frosting. You know what? I’d better end this post here before I make myself hungry or homesick or something.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Donald Ash

P.S.-What’s your favorite holiday season dessert? Let’s see who can give the most mouth-watering description of your favorite Christmas Dessert…

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  • Anthony says:
    December 23, 2011 at 5:41 pm

    Carrot cake is the business but I would say a big slice of yellow pound cake might give it a run of its money. Stick a piece in the microwave for maybe 20 seconds and it literally just melts in your mouth. It’s a toss up between that and sweet potato pie. *drools*

    Reply
    • Donald Ash says:
      December 25, 2011 at 7:10 pm

      Uh-oh, did I just shed a tear?!? You’re killin’ me Anthony! LOL!

      Melt in your mouth pound cake? Sweet potato pie? These are dessert staples. Brownie points for you my friend!!!

      Reply
  • Rebecca Quinn says:
    December 24, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    CARROT CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE.
    AWH YEAH.. Must make some..

    Reply
    • Donald Ash says:
      December 25, 2011 at 7:02 pm

      LMAO! Rebecca, if you make carrot cake, please eat it, savor it. With every bite, please make a wish that Donald can get his hands on some carrot cake, too. LOL!

      Reply
  • Regina says:
    December 25, 2011 at 12:42 am

    I miss carrot cake!

    Reply
  • Nanami says:
    January 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Hmm…. I once had Japanese cheesecake. It’s now my favorite type. However, no holiday of fall or winter is a holiday without Pumpkin Pie–homemade with a bit of coolwhip on top. 😡

    Reply
  • Melissa says:
    January 24, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    There’s a Jamaican guy in Tokyo that bakes all kinds of goodies, and I bought a carrot walnut cake from him and served it to my English club students. It was a year ago and they STILL talk about it! They LOVED it!!

    Reply
    • Donald Ash says:
      January 25, 2012 at 4:24 pm

      I need to find that guy, Melissa! Man oh man, carrot walnut cake would hit the spot!!

      Reply
      • Melissa says:
        January 25, 2012 at 11:16 pm

        Are you on FB? If so, you can find him at ‘Sweet Jamaican Things’ If you are not on FB, let me know and I will send you his number. BTW, he only sells whole cakes.

        Reply
  • G says:
    January 30, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    I think the reason why Japanese kids would be repulsed by a cake made from carrots is because in general, Japanese kids don’t like carrots. I think it’s probably in the “Top 3~5 vegetable kids don’t like in Japan” category. I asked my Japanese roommate why this is, and it’s typically because of the way a raw carrot tastes.

    In America, MOST carrots (99%) are genetically modified so that they are sweeter. In Japan, carrots taste more bitter and have a muddier after taste (according to my roommate; I haven’t noticed).

    Maybe you should try making a carrot cake and pass it out to your kids, see what they think of it. Maybe you’ll have some interesting responses from the parents. 😉

    Reply
    • Donald Ash says:
      February 13, 2012 at 3:19 pm

      I really would like to try to make carrot cake for my kids. I know my cooking/baking skills suck just a little, so I may have to practice a couple of times first.

      P.S.- That’s the first time I’ve heard muddy used as adjective for taste…I LOVE IT! 😀

      Reply
    • Sutarmekeg says:
      January 13, 2013 at 7:25 am

      Way to pull stats out your ass. 99%?

      Reply
  • icarus says:
    March 25, 2013 at 9:03 am

    I think I’m gonna head to the nearest bakery. Why not try letting them have a taste of it…secretly? You’ll be like ‘oh hey want some of this cake?’ And if they asked what it is, ignore them and chuck that carrot cake right into their mouths. And when they say ‘umai~’ drop the bomb on them ‘Aha! You just ate carrot cake!’ Then watch their reactions.

    Reply
  • KeAnna Backus says:
    July 2, 2022 at 9:52 am

    I thought carrot cake in Japan was a savory pancake ????

    Reply
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