Brazilian Carrot Cake is completely different from our cinnamon-spiced, cream-cheese frosted versions here in the US. I used to live in Brazil (doing missionary service work in my 20’s) and the first time someone served me “Bolo de Cenoura” (aka carrot cake) I was super confused. But why are there no carrot chunks in it? And why is it orange? And is that chocolate on top?! This cake became one of my favorite desserts. It’s tender and fluffy and bonus: the entire cake can be made in a blender!
This is a very traditional cake in Brazil; and it’s not something that’s associated with Easter and spring time the way carrot cake here in the US is. It’s a super simple recipe and the carrots are actually pureed into the batter so it’s completely smooth. They add a perfect subtle sweetness and a beautiful orange color. If you didn’t see the recipe, you probably wouldn’t guess it had carrots in it! Traditionally this cake is baked in a 9×13 pan (or similar size round) pan, but I’ve found a Bundt pan works great, too.
How I learned to make Brazilian Carrot Cake
I found this recipe in a pile of hand-written notes I brought home from Brazil, but it’s pretty much the standard recipe that you’ll see everywhere if you look for Brazilian Carrot Cake (well except the frosting, that’s mine- more on that later.) This cake will forever remind me of my Brazilian friend Joe Miranda (who everyone called simply, Miranda), who rode around on a bicycle with a little cooler on the back selling delicious goodies made by his darling wife Delores.
Even though that was how they earned money, Miranda always pulled a slice of that carrot cake out of the cooler and handed it to me with a friendly wink because he knew it was my favorite. He, along with another man named Vandi were two of the people who impacted me most during my time in Brazil. (That’s Miranda on my right and Vandi on my left. You can tell I’ve been completely melted working out in the hot Brazilian sun and another day I’ll tell you the very entertaining story explaining why my hair looks like such a hot mess. )
They taught me how to speak Portuguese without sounding like an American and invited me and the other missionaries into their homes and treated us like family. Vandi was like father to me and would bend over backwards to help us with anything. And Miranda would often stop by the little office in the church we used to use as an office and make me say things like “alho” and “olho” (garlic and eye, respectively) over and over again until my accent didn’t sound like a gringo. He was funny and sarcastic and made me feel like I wasn’t so far away from home. When I got transferred out of that area, I missed these two guys the most. Every time I bite into a slice of this Brazilian carrot cake I’m brought right back to that city, sitting in the little chapel, joking and laughing with Miranda.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Carrot Cake
- Carrots
- Eggs
- Canola oil– avocado oil also works great
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
Chocolate Glaze
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- Butter
- Corn syrup– I’ve subbed both honey and agave syrup and both work!
How to Make Brazilian Carrot Cake
- Start by tossing sliced carrots in the blender. No need to even peel those carrots, just make sure to give them a good wash, first. But feel free to peel if you like! These get completely pureed with eggs, oil, and sugar. A couple people in the comments asked if it was necessary to cook the carrots first and the answer is no! I just leave my blender on for a full minute to make sure the batter gets nice and smooth.
- Then the dry ingredients go in. I like to just take a spatula and roughly hand mix the flour first and then give it a few pulses so it gets fully incorporated. You get this beautiful orange carrot color!
- That’s it! Pour it in either a 9×13 baking dish, or a Bundt pan. I’m making a Bundt because I thought it would be extra pretty for Easter, but a 9×13 works great, too. It keeps that golden-orange color and bakes up soft and sweet.
- Now the glaze I’m using isn’t traditional- it’s more of a what-Americans-have-in-the-pantry-and-fridge (ie: chocolate chips and butter). Most Brazilians I know make a brigadeiro chocolate topping with a powdered chocolate mix, milk, sugar, and a little butter. You can certainly go that route if you like! (TIP: To “make” a double boiler, just place a glass bowl on top of a pot with 1-2 inches of simmering water. I find sometimes the microwave scorches my chocolate, or causes it to seize a bit and this method works every time for melting chocolate nice and smooth.)
- Now here’s a trick I use when frosting bundt cakes. I don’t like just drizzling frosting over them because then most of it ends up on the plate. I want each piece covered in that stuff so I use a silicone pastry brush and I first just “paint” the glaze over the whole cake. After it’s evenly coated, then I go ahead and drizzle on the rest so it looks pretty and gets those beautiful drip lines.
- If you’re making a 9×13, I prefer to double the glaze, and likewise, I don’t pour the entire glaze on at once. I spread out half of it, wait a few minutes, and then slowly add the rest.
- Inside this cake is so (I’m gonna say it) moist. The carrots add the perfect subtle sweetness. If you didn’t know it had carrots in it, you probably wouldn’t guess it. It’s a really unique flavor, but not weird at all. It’s just sweet and soft and delicious. The glaze is soft and drippy when warm, but after it sets it becomes a little fudgy- kind of like Texas Sheet Cake! Hope you love this one as much as I do. Let me know if you try it!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished cake, tightly covered, at room temperature and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can make this a day ahead of time, all the way through the glaze step. I recommend a cake cover if you are making it in a Bundt pan. If you’re making it in a 9×13, simply cover tightly with plastic or a lid.
Brazilian Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Bundt pan optional
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 10 oz carrots sliced into 1/2 inch pieces- about 2 cups
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Chocolate Glaze (if desired, double glaze if making 9×13)
- ½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
Instructions
Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment OR butter and flour a Bundt pan.
- Place carrots, eggs, and oil in blender and blend until smooth. I suggest leaving the blender on for a full minute to make sure it's nice and smooth. Add sugar and pulse to combine.
- Add dry ingredients and gently stir with rubber spatula to mix in a bit, scraping sides of blender, and then blend until evenly distributed.
- Pour batter in prepared pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes (depending on your pan, keep an eye on it) and remove from oven with a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- If using a budnt pan, let cool to just barely warm before inverting. Either way let cake cool to just barely warm before icing.
Chocolate Glaze
- To make glaze combine all ingredients in double boiler (simply place a glass bowl over the top of a pot with a couple inches of simmering water in it) and stir until melted and smooth. Alternately you can also use the microwave.
- Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before pouring to top of cake. I like to pour about half the glaze on and spread it out, then slowly add more. If you dump it all on quickly at once, it might just spill over and end up on the bottom since it's thin. It will thicken upon standing so take your time and be gentle.
Notes
- Store finished cake, tightly covered, at room temperature and enjoy within 2-3 days for best results.
Questions & Reviews
Loved this post and your mission pictures and the stories so, so much. Plus, my husband (who also served a mission in Brazil) is prolly going to die when I make this. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
What a lovely story and what a delicious looking cake, I was wondering could this cake be made with whole wheat flour instead of white flour?
You could try, but it probably won’t be quite as light and fluffy. Whole wheat generally doesn’t do too well in cakes.
Beautiful cake. Beautiful story 🙂
Hi! I am Braziliam and here at our house the glazed is a “brigadeiro” made to be more thin than normal. That is how my kids love it. Try it!
Painting on the chocolate totally made me think Princess Bride “the chocolate coating makes it go down easier” lol.
LOVE that movie!
Hi Sara,
I always love when you blog about the Brazilian recipes. You help me adapt my favorite recipes! Plus make me less homesick. Here at work i once showed the Brazilian carrot cake to a co-worker and she loved the idea. She baked it (I might have gotten a slice… or three), plus her whole family loved it and now it is in her mom’s catering menu.
The carrot cake color is just beautiful and it’s great in the afternoon with a latte, tea and a bunch of friends. For something extra rich, you can also use “brigadeiro” as glaze.
Love you guys!!!!
I have a Brazilian exchange student and I just put her birthday carrot cake in the oven. I am making brigadeiro for top. Anxious to taste.
I’m surprised I’ve never heard of this cake! My dad served his mission in Brazil and is a Brazilian by heart, so we always ate Brazilian food growing up. We lived in Brazil for a few months when I was a teen and we never had it there either! I’m anxious to try it!
Great tip on the double boiler! I have avoided recipes that use one because I don’t have one and didn’t want to take up the cupboard space with something I would rarely use. You have just broadened my horizons. ?
Oh ya- just “make” one! So quick and easy!
Aw, I loved your story. Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to try this cake!
What a beautiful story- seriously your sweet words made me a bit emotional. I’ve never heard of Brazialian carrot cake. We’re huge American carrot cake fans at my house (absolutely no nuts, pineapple, or raisins though!). Secret is cream cheese in the cake too! I think I’ll give yours a try but do the carrots really blend smooth without cooking first?
Yep!
Exactly! I have the exact same question about the carrots. Should we heat those carrots up a little bit? I love the story! ❤️ When I first saw the post about carrot cake, my first response was, eh. After reading your description of it, I’m definitely going to try it!! Thank you!
Nope! No heating necessary- just blend it. I leave the blender on for a full minute to make sure they are nice and pureed.