Brazilian Carrot Cake

Brazilian Carrot Cake is quickly prepared in the kitchen blender and topped with a silky and decadent chocolate sauce. This is a kid-friendly cake is simple, less sweet than the old-fashioned carrot cake, and super delish – just like our Brazilian carrot cupcakes.

Watch me making my childhood favorite cake, this Brazilian cake recipe, step by step!

American Carrot Cake vs. Brazilian Carrot Cake

Differences

Carrot cakes, like culture, show differences based upon their places of origin– at least American and Brazilian carrot cakes do, as we can see below:

• Flavoring agents: American carrot cakes contain nuts, a blend of spices, crushed pineapple, and shredded coconut and/or raisins, adding richness to the cake with the addition of other flavorings. The Brazilian version is simpler, less sweet, and has carrots as its sole flavoring agent.
• Kid-friendly: As an added bonus, Brazilian carrot cake is ideal for kids since the carrots are well blended into the cake (no visible slivers of carrot) and it is topped with chocolate sauce. I don’t know about your kids, but mine are not fans of the shredded carrots and other flavorings in the American cake.
• Type of pan: The type of pan preferred for baking this cake also differs from one country to the next. In the U.S., carrot cakes are often layered and baked in more than one round baking pan, or sometimes in a loaf pan or even in rectangular pan. On the other hand, in Brazil they are often a one-layer cake baked in a ring mold or rectangular pan. 
• Frosting: Ah yes, they also differ when it comes to frosting. While American-style carrot cake is frequently topped with a cream cheese frosting, Brazilian carrot cake is either served plain (like a coffee cake) or more typically, topped with a chocolate sauce, ganache, or even a soft brigadeiro  (heavy creamy is added to the batter right after removing it from the heat to make it softer like a frosting).  
• If nut-free: The American classic carrot cake has either walnuts or pecans while the Brazilian carrot cake has no nuts.

I have to confess that I prefer my Brazilian carrot cake dusted with powdered sugar, although it goes well either topped with chocolate sauce or even with a cream cheese frosting.

If you decide to top yours with chocolate sauce, be aware that the type of chocolate matters! Since the Brazilian carrot cake has a mild flavor -- as most coffee cakes do, milk chocolate makes the best choice since it won’t overpower the carrot flavor. On the other hand, bittersweet and especially dark chocolate will be too strong.

The truth is, I personally love both American and Brazilian carrot cakes…

… and now that you know about Brazilian carrot cake, there is something new on your plate to try. Of course, Brazil os not the only country that has a different carrot cake. Mexican, Asian, and Portuguese carrot cakes are a thing of their own!  

Similarities

• Regardless of how they might differ from one another, both versions of carrot cake fall into the baking category of "shortened, oil cakes."
• For instance, this type of cake is moister and denser than those known as "shortened, butter cakes" such as traditional yellow cake, marble cake, and most wedding and birthday cakes.
• In addition, the fat and sugar are not creamed… oil is the added fat used for moistness and density in this carrot cake recipe.
• Since oils always remain liquid and never set into solid form, this type of cake can be refrigerated without losing its tenderness and moistness.
• Although oil cakes are moist when properly structured, butter cakes can be as well.
• Here are a few tips to add moistness to your cakes and prevent them from drying out.

Tips for a Moist Brazilian Carrot Cake

• Substitute a fruit puree (e.g. applesauce, pumpkin puree, mashed ripe bananas, canned crushed pineapple or plum puree) for ½ of the oil or butter that is called for in the recipe. The fiber in the fruit puree helps to absorb moisture and keep the cake moist. It is true that the cake will be a little denser than one without a fruit puree, but it will be moist.
• Add ¼ cup of sour cream, instant pudding (the undissolved powder), or mayonnaise (the real thing) to the batter of butter cakes (NOTE: butter cakes are the ones in which butter and sugar are creamed). 
• Replace milk with buttermilk, but do not forget to add baking soda to the batter to neutralize the acids present in the buttermilk. The general ratio is ½ teaspoon of baking soda per 1 cup of buttermilk. 
• For butter and oil cakes made with gluten-free flour, use the amount of butter or oil called for in the recipe and add a ½ cup of a fruit puree (e.g. applesauce) to the batter.
• If you are making a layered cake, brush the baked and cooled cake layers with simple syrup. This is a technique professional bakers use to keep the layers of a cake moist, whether the cake is from scratch or from a mix. After applying the simple syrup, spread a thin coating of frosting and let the frosting dry before putting on the final layer.
• To prevent a cake from drying out, always store it well covered. Butter cakes are best kept at room temperature, while oil cakes can be chilled in the fridge.

With all that said, let’s go to the kitchen to get this baby baked! It is truly the best carrot cake that you will ever have!

If needed, take a look at our baking substitutions charts. 

How to Make Brazilian Carrot Cake

This is one of those traditional Brazilian foods that you must try! 

STEP 1: To make our homemade carrot cake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (about 180 degrees C). Grease a round ring mold (9-inch or 23 cm diameter) and dust with flour. Remove excess flour! 

STEP 2:  In a blender, blend the carrot, oil, vanilla, eegs and yolk, and half of the sugar together very well until the mixture is homogeneous and smooth. You may have to stop the blender more than once and scrape down the sides. Reserve. PIC. 1

There are 2 ways to make this Brazilian carrot cake, depending on the texture that you choose: either super moist and dense, or slightly moist and fluffy.

STEP 3: Prepare the cake batter according to one of the desired textures:

• For a moist and dense cake (more common in Brazil): Add all the other batter ingredients (½ of the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt) to the blended carrot mixture and blend just enough to obtain a homogeneous mixture. PIC. 2 Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-55 minutes. PIC. 3 The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

• Let the pan cool on a rack completely, slide a knife around the edges to loosen, and invert on a platter. PIC. 4 Top with the chocolate sauce (recipe below)!

• For a fluffy cake: Transfer the blended carrot mixture to a large bowl. Then, add the other ½ of the sugar and sift the flour and baking powder in. Add a pinch of salt and mix everything together until smooth using a spatula or a whisk, or beat on low speed until the flour is fully mixed into the batter. Please, do not overbeat!!!

• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Yes, it will bake a little faster than when completely blended in the blender.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack. Slice a knife around the edges to loosen, unmold, and top with chocolate sauce. Decorate as desired.

• You can also serve this cake plain or dusted with powdered sugar instead of topping with chocolate sauce.

• This cake is moist without being oily!!! If you are lactose intolerant, serve cake dusted with powdered sugar. To make this cake gluten-free, use a gluten-free all purpose flour (the same amount).

STEP 4: To prepare the chocolate sauce: In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the chocolate sauce, except the cornstarch and vanilla, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. The chocolate must melt completely.

• When it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened a little bit, about 3 minutes.

• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch in water until combined and not lumpy anymore. Add to the chocolate mixture and whisk until fully combined and the sauce has thickened about 2 minutes.

• Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and let sauce cool down to warm. Pour over the cake.

STEP 5 (OPTIONAL): If you’d like to decorate your cake with carrot rosettes, peel half of a carrot and cut thin shaves in the mandolin or a large peeler. Then place them in a medium bowl filled with water (enough to cover the carrot shaves) and microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes or until soft. Remove from the bowl and place into another bowl filled with ice water (enough to cover the shaves). Let sit for about 60 seconds and pat dry. Then, cut in half lengthwise to make less wide strips using a pairing skife and roll them like a tight curl. I also used rosemary sprigs as a garnish. 

NOTE: For a gluten-free carrot cake, use blanched almond flour instead (1:1 ratio). 

Make-Ahead and Storage for Brazilian Carrot Cake Recipe

• Store Brazilian carrot cake, covered, either at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze it, wrap the room temp cake (without the chocolate sauce) in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Then freeze for up to 3 months.
• It is one of those easy freezer recipes!
• Let come to room temp before topping with chocolate sauce and serve.

Other cake recipes you might like:

• Easter chocolate cake
• Brigadeiro cake
• Brazilian chocolate cake roll
• Passion fruit cake
• Upside-down mango cake
• Upside-down banana cake
• Lemon pudding cake
• Berry cake
• Easter egg cake

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5 from 4 votes

BEST Brazilian Carrot Cake

Brazilian Carrot Cake is prepared in the kitchen blender and topped with milk chocolate sauce. It's a kid-friendly cake with useful tips for a moist cake. 

Course:Dessert

Cuisine:Brazilian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 slices

Calories463 kcal

Author Denise Browning

Cost $ 0.75 per person

Equipment

• kitchen blender
• Baking pan
• oven

Ingredients

For the Brazilian carrot cake batter

• 17.5 oz carrots peeled and coarsely chopped (weight them after peeling)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 ⅛ cups all-purpose flour around 9 ounces or 260 g
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt

For the chocolate sauce

• ½ cup milk chocolate chips another type of chocolate will overpower the cake
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (about 180 degrees C). Grease  a round ring mold (9-inch or 23 cm diameter) and dust with flour. Remove excess flour!
• In a blender, blend the carrot, oil, vanilla, eggs and yolk, and half of the sugar together very well until the mixture is homogeneous and smooth. You may have to stop the blender more than once and scrape down the sides. Reserve.
• There are 2 ways to make this Brazilian carrot cake, depending on the texture that you choose: either super moist and dense, or slightly moist and fluffy.
• Prepare the cake batter according to one of the desired textures:
• For a moist and dense cake (more common in Brazil): Add all the other batter ingredients (other half of the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt) to the blended carrot mixture and blend just enough to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Youmay have to stop the blender and scrape the sides more than once). Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-55 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let pan cool over a rack completely, slide a knife around the edges to loosen, and invert on a platter. Top with the chocolate sauce (recipe below)!
• For a fluffy cake: Pour the blended carrot mixture into a large bowl. Then, add the other half of the sugar and sift the flour and baking powder in. Add a pinch of salt and either mixture everything very well using a spatula or whisk or beat on low speed until the flour has been incorporated to the batter. Please, do not overbeat!!!
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Yes, it will bake a little faster than when completely blended in the blender.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack. Slice a knife around the edges to loosen, unmold, and top with chocolate sauce. Decorate as desired.
• You can also serve this cake plain or dusted with powdered sugar instead of topping with chocolate sauce.
• This cake is moist without being oily!!! If you are intolerant of dairy, serve cake dusted with powdered sugar. To make this cake gluten-free, use a gluten-free all purpose flour (the same amount).
• To prepare the chocolate sauce: In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the chocolate sauce, except the cornstarch and the vanilla, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. The chocolate must melt completely.
• When it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened a little bit, about 3 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch in water until combined and not lumpy anymore. Add to the chocolate mixture and whisk until fully combined and the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and let sauce cool down to warm. Pour over cake.
• To decorate (optional): If you’d like to decorate your cake with carrot rosettes, peel half of a carrot and cut thin shaves in the mandolin or with a large vegetable peeler. Then place them in a medium bowl filled with water (enough to cover the carrot shaves) and microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes or until soft. 
• Remove from the bowl and place into another bowl filled with ice water (enough to cover the shaves). Let sit for about 60 seconds and pat dry. Then, cut in half lengthwise to make less wide strips using a pairing knife and roll them like a tight curl. I also used rosemary sprigs as a garnish.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• If you don't have a ring mold pan, you can bake the batter in a standard-size cupcake pan.  In this case, fill ¾ full and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes. Please, always do the toothpick test!!  You can either use paper liners, or grease and dust the cupcake pan. 

STORAGE

• Store Brazilian carrot cake, covered, either at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• To freeze it, wrap the room temp cake (without the chocolate sauce) in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Then freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 463kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 2283IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

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Post first published on April 16th, 2013.