Dense, moist and homey, carrot cake is the quintessential American classic. It evolved from a time when sugar was expensive, so root vegetables like carrots, parsnips and beets sweetened the batter.

I confess. I am very opinionated about cake, particularly wedding cake. I like good cake-fresh, moist, not overly sweet. I also love pretty wedding cakes, but prefer taste over the appearance any day ...

Slicing into this cake reveals orange-scented vanilla layers that bake up from a one-bowl batter. Ruby Tandoh is a pastry chef turned food writer and cookbook author in the UK. She was a finalist on ...