Orange Carrot Cake, Anna D. Cannon
I imagine that Anna D. Cannon had some stories. After graduating high school in 1942, she became the first female school bus driver in Montgomery County, and worked the job for 30 years.
Unfortunately, Anna is another person whose stories I may never know. I know only that she was born in 1924 in Garrett County to Gilmore and Linna DeWitt. Anna and several of her eight siblings on the family farm were listed as “unpaid family worker” in the 1940 census.
Anna married Lawrence A. Winters, who died in 1960. Her second husband, Frank Cannon, died in 1994.
Anna Cannon lived to be 93, and her 2017 obituary lists many losses in her life aside from her two husbands. Two of her children preceded her in death, as did five sisters and four brothers.
She did leave two daughters and four sons.
She was from a large family and she had a large family, most of whom dispersed from their Oakland, Maryland roots.
All this I know from Anna’s obituary. Not everyone’s stories made it into newspapers.
I believe that Anna Cannon returned to the Oakland area after she retired from bus driving in the 1970s. In 1995, she shared this Orange Carrot Cake recipe to the Mt. Top Christian Assembly “Recipes & Memories” cookbook.
It was her only recipe contribution to the book but it sure makes an impact. With orange juice, zest and extract, Anna made damn sure that the carrots weren’t going to steal the show in this carrot cake.
I never know with a brief post like this. Maybe I will hear from Anna’s children or grandchildren, and I will get a longer glimpse into her life story. Or maybe this is all I get — the outline of a life to ponder over a slice of cake.
Recipe:
- 1.25 Cup vegetable oil
- 1 Cup light brown sugar
- 1 Cup white sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 Cups shredded carrot
- 1 grated orange
- 1 Teaspoon orange extract
Beat oil and sugar well, then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Whisk flour, soda, salt and cinnamon; then blend into sugar mixture. Stir in carrots, grated orange and orange extract. Divide batter among three 9 inch greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then turn out of pans on rack. Frost with Creamy Orange Frosting.
Creamy Orange Frosting
- 12 oz softened cream cheese
- .75 Cup butter
- 1 grated orange
- 6 Cups powdered sugar
- 1 Teaspoon orange extract
Beat cream cheese, butter or margarine and sugar until smooth. Blend in grated orange and extract.
Recipes from “Recipes & Memories”. c. 1995, Mt. Top Christian Assembly
