"Far from being a secret, my aunt happily shared the recipe with me when I finally asked for it a while back. She admitted that she originally copied the recipe from a cookbook, though which exact one has long been forgotten. But she then went on to describe so many tweaks, adjustments, and variations that I'm convinced this is now solely her own. In turn, I have made my own tweaks and adjustments. My aunt prefers a layered round cake; I like a big, easily shared cake baked in a 9x13-inch pan. My aunt adds nuts and raisins; I'll make mine with the carrots alone, please and thank you. My aunt uses a cooked frosting of cream, sugar, and cream cheese; I keep it simple with a very basic cream cheese frosting. But the base recipe remains my aunt's, and it surpasses all other carrot cakes I've ever had the pleasure of sampling." - Steven Perez