It's widely accepted that carrot cake has been an American favorite since colonial times. What's less agreed upon, however, is the recipe's origins. When Pillsbury recently sponsored a contest to find the first published carrot-cake recipe, the winner was from a 1929 book titled "The Twentieth-Century Bride's Handbook." But whatever its history, carrot cake has become a staple of American cuisine and is available today in a variety of forms, from cakes to loaves. Martha's recipe for delicious carrot-ginger cupcakes with cream-cheese frosting was featured on Martha Stewart Living TV.