Best Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Topping
This is the Best Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Topping you will make! Brazilian carrot cake is very different from the American version, the carrots are blended for a delicious, beautiful orange cake that is moist and covered with real Brigadeiro (typical Brazilian chocolate glaze made with condensed milk).
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Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 569kcal
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Weight scale a must!
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Flour sifter optional but recommended
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 270 g carrots 9.5 oz raw, peeled, cut into chunks
- 3 eggs large
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar or brown sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
OPTION 1: Soft Chocolate Brigadeiro Ganache
- 397 g condensed milk 1 can
- 4 tbsp cacao powder 100%
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
OPTION 2: Dark Chocolate Silky Frosting
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp milk whole milk is best
- 1 tbsp cacao powder 100%
- 1/3 cup sugar brown or granulated
Instructions
Preparing the Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 356F (180C) and prepare a 9.5-in bundt cake pan (grease and dust flour through it, making sure to remove excess flour or use a thin layer of cooking spray).
- Add the sugar, oil, carrots (peeled /diced) and eggs to a blender and blend until very smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed(no pieces of carrot should remain).
- In a large bowl, add the sifted flour and pour the blended wet ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add the baking powder and gently whisk (do not overmix!).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a cake tester/toothpick comes out lightly crumbly to clean.
- Remove the cake from oven, let it cool 15 minutes and unmold.
- While the cake cools, choose the chocolate frosting from the options below!
Preparing the Soft Chocolate Brigadeiro Ganache
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, condensed milk and cocoa powder.
- Heat the mixture whisking constantly until thick, creamy and releasing from the bottom of the pan.
- Turn off the heat, add the heavy cream and whisk until combined.
Preparing the Dark Chocolate Silky Frosting
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter,milk, cocoa powder and sugar.
- Whisk until completely melted and smooth.
- Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes until it has thickened.
- Remove from the heat, let it cool for 2-3 minutes and pour it on the top of the carrot cake.
Assembling the Carrot Cake
- Transfer the cake to a serving round tray, spread the brigadeiro frosting and add chocolate sprinkles if desired; or pour the dark chocolate frosting while warm.
Notes
Nutrition facts were calculated using the Brigadeiro chocolate ganache as the topping.
- For the best taste, the carrots should be fresh and peeled. If you leave the peel on, you get a subtle bitter taste, which I don’t like.
- Weigh your carrots! This is very important; you need 270g (about 9.5 oz) of carrots, and it is very imprecise to use cups or a number of carrots, as the size varies, as well as the way you cut it before measuring.
- Blend the carrots very well! No pieces should be left, you want a smooth batter for a moist and light cake.
- Sift the all-purpose flour. It helps the cake stay aerated and fluffy; don’t skip this step.
- Make sure that the cake is fully cooked before opening the oven. Follow my instructions on timing. A good tip for knowing when the cake is ready is when you start smelling it! If you open the oven too early, the oven's internal temperature will fall, and the cake may sink.
- I find that using a bundt cake pan gives the best results!
- Always add the cake to a preheated oven. This is a very dense batter that will require an ideal temperature to rise and reach optimal texture and browning.
- Thoroughly grease and flour the pan to prevent the cake from sticking! This is one of the most important steps, especially when using a bundt cake pan!
- Before attempting to unmold the carrot cake, wait 15 minutes until it cools down, or it can break.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Best Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Topping
Amount per Serving
Calories
569
% Daily Value*
Fat
28
g
43
%
Saturated Fat
8
g
50
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
11
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Cholesterol
75
mg
25
%
Sodium
227
mg
10
%
Potassium
318
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
75
g
25
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
53
g
59
%
Protein
8
g
16
%
Vitamin A
4840
IU
97
%
Vitamin C
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
212
mg
21
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @goldenbearmama on Instagram!