Brazilian Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is one of our top recipes on the blog, and although we absolutely love our mom’s traditional carrot cake, there is another carrot cake recipe that holds a special place in our heart. One of our neighbors growing up was Brazilian, and she always used to make this carrot cake. Although at first glance, it looked nothing like the carrot cake that came out of our kitchen. The cake layer was soft, smooth and bright orange. On top there was a gooey, chocolate glaze. It was one of our favorite treats that came out of her kitchen so we recreated it with this Brazilian carrot cake recipe.

Components of a Brazilian Carrot Cake:

A Brazilian Carrot Cake has two key components that come together for the perfect carrot cake: the carrot sponge and chocolate glaze 

• Carrot Cake: Made with fresh carrots, eggs, neutral oil, sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, the carrot cake itself is incredibly moist and flavorful. The combination of these ingredients yields a tender crumb and a hint of sweetness that perfectly complements the carrot’s sweet flavor (not to mention bright orange color).
• Chocolate Glaze: The icing on this cake is the rich and velvety chocolate glaze. Created using dark chocolate, butter, sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a touch of salt, the glaze adds a layer of decadence and enhances the overall flavor profile. The cocoa creamy topping goes perfectly with the sweetness of the carrot cake.

Tips for the Best Brazilian Carrot Cake:

• Quality ingredients: We know we have said this in just about every recipe, but it really is what makes the biggest difference. Use fresh and high-quality ingredients. In this recipe, it is especially important with the carrots. Fresh carrots guarantee it will have a better flavor and the final cake will be moist.
• Blending the carrots: This carrot cake is all about the smooth, bright orange carrot sponge. To achieve this, use a blender to blend the carrot mixture until smooth for a consistent and velvety batter.
• Cooling the cake: Allow the cake to cool completely before adding the chocolate glaze to prevent it from melting or becoming runny.
• Cooling the glaze: Let the glaze set slightly until it reaches a pourable but still-warm consistency for easy spreading and a glossy finish.

FAQs:

Ingredient Notes:

• Carrots: Opt for fresh carrots that are firm and vibrant orange in color. They contribute to the cake’s moistness and add natural sweetness.
• Chocolate: Choose a good quality dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage you enjoy. This will ensure a rich and smooth chocolate glaze. Our favorite is a 70% dark chocolate.
• Eggs: We always use large, room temperature eggs in baking as we find it produces the best result. 
• Neutral Oil: Neutral oils such as vegetable oil work well in this recipe as they have a mild flavor that won’t overpower the taste of the cake. You can also use other neutral oils like canola or sunflower oil.
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps to tenderize the cake. 
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor of the cake. Use pure vanilla extract for the best taste. You can also substitute it with vanilla bean paste or the scraped seeds from a vanilla bean for even more vanilla flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of the cake. It provides structure and stability to the batter. Other flours like cake flour will not produce the same result as they have different protein contents.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder is a leavening agent that helps the cake rise and become light and fluffy. Check the expiration date on your baking powder to ensure its effectiveness.
• Diamond Kosher Salt: We add a little bit of salt to all our baking. Trust us this will change your baking game and give things a more developed flavor. We use Diamond Kosher salt but keep in mind it has larger crystals compared to Morton salt. If using Morton kosher salt or table salt, adjust the amount slightly as they have a higher salt concentration.
• Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate adds richness and depth of flavor to the chocolate glaze. Choose a high-quality dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage you enjoy. Our favorite is 70% cocoa.
• Butter: We use salted butter in the chocolate glaze for its creamy texture and rich flavor.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream provides richness and creaminess to the chocolate glaze. It helps achieve a smooth and pourable consistency. Make sure to use full-fat heavy cream for the best results.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a subtle hint of vanilla flavor to the chocolate glaze. Use pure vanilla extract for the best taste.

Print

Brazilian Carrot Cake

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Cooling 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

Carrot cake:

• 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup neutral oil vegetable
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 350 g
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour 240 g
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon diamond kosher salt ¼ teaspoon if morton

Chocolate glaze:

• 5 oz dark chocolate chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter 45 grams
• 1/2 cup sugar 100 grams
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 oz
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon diamond kosher salt 1/8 if morton

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Spray a 9×13 inch metal pan with cooking spray and set aside
• Add the carrots, eggs, and oil into a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth
• Add in the sugar and vanilla blend until combined
• Add in flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until evenly combined
• Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake for around 40 minutes* or until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean *oven and the pan used will make the bake pan vary use a toothpick to ensure it is cooked
• Remove from the oven and cool until room temperature to the touch before pouring on the chocolate topping

Chocolate glaze:

• To make the glaze, add chocolate, butter, salt, and vanilla into a bowl. Set aside
• In a small pan over medium heat, heat cream and sugar until hot but just before boiling
• Pour the heated cream and sugar over the bowl of chocolate and let it set for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Set aside for around 15 minutes until pourable but just warm
• Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. Let it set on the counter until the topping is just set (so that the cake can be cut but is not hard)