Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Topping

This Brazilian carrot cake with chocolate topping is exquisite, with a soft, tender crumb and a decadent chocolate ganache on top. 

I’m a massive fan of the American version of carrot cake, but I only allow myself to indulge on special occasions. The thick cream cheese frosting and the excessive quantity of sugar can be a little too much for the day-to-day. 

This Brazilian carrot cake (in Portuguese called bolo de cenoura) uses just a few ingredients. It has a robust balance between the natural sweetness of the carrots and the bitterness of chocolate.

Traditionally this cake is baked in a very simple tin loaf, but I have decided to fancy it up by baking it in this intricate bundt cake pan. I love how the design elevates the beautiful orange color and intense dark from the chocolate sauce making the perfect birthday cake.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE BRAZILIAN CARROT CAKE:   

Carrots: Peeled carrots are diced and blended into a puree.

Eggs: Room temperature eggs help bid the batter together.

Flour: Regular all-purpose flour.

Sugar: Granulated sugar 

Baking powder: To make the cake rise.

Olive oil: Help create a moist and tender crumb.

Salt: A pinch of kosher salt adds contrast enhancing the overall flavor of the cake.

Chocolate: Good quality dark chocolate for the glaze. 

Heavy cream: Warm heavy cream to melt the chocolate and create a smooth glaze. 

Condensed milk: Use canned condensed milk if making traditional brigadeiro topping.

HOW TO USE A BUNDT PAN LIKE A PRO:

The execution of this cake is relatively easy; the most tedious part is getting the cake out of the pan without ruining the beautiful design. Here is a little tutorial on how to use a bundt pan like a pro: 

HOW TO GREASE A BUNDT PAN: 

The best way to grease a bundt pan is to cover the interior with abundant spray oil being sure to get in every nook and cranny. Then lightly dust with flour, avoiding creating any clumps. 

Never use butter to grease these pans; the milk solids of the butter act like glue, causing the cake batter to stick to the pan. 

HOW TO REMOVE THE CAKE FROM THE PAN: 

After baking, let the cake rest on a wire rack for ten minutes. 

Turn it upside down and unmold it. Sometimes the cake sticks to the bottom and needs a little help, so try to gently bang the pan edges until it comes out. 

Sometimes, despite all of this effort, it still sticks. Even though it is not an ideal scenario, there are a couple of tips I can give you. 

Cover the cake generously with glaze and add sprinkles on top; nobody will ever know! If the cake falls apart in multiple pieces, no worries. You can serve it in small jars with custard and transform it into trifles.

HOW TO MAKE BRAZILIAN CARROT CAKE:  

STEP 1: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously grease a 10 cups bundt pan with spray oil in every nook and cranny.

STEP 2: 

Peel the raw carrots using a potato peeler, then dice them into 2-inch pieces. 

Add the carrots to a bowl of a food processor and puree. The result should be a smooth mixture without any little pieces of carrots. 

STEP 3: 

First, we prepare the wet ingredients, crack the eggs into a large bowl, add sugar, vanilla, and zest of one orange, and whisk until well combined. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, and kosher salt, and mix again.  

Add the blended carrots and mix thoroughly.

STEP 4: 

Pour the carrot mixture into the prepared pan and bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the cake reaches the internal temperature of 210°F. Never open the oven door before 45 minutes, or the cake will collapse. 

STEP 5: 

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack; let cool completely. 

STEP 6: GANACHE TOPPING

While the cake cools, we make the glaze, pour heavy cream into a small saucepan, and bring it to a simmer on medium-high heat. Chop the dark chocolate with a knife (always use a heavy and unsharpened chef knife to make the process easier) and place it in a medium bowl. 

STEP 7: 

Pour the warm heavy cream on the chocolate, and mix with a rubber spatula until completely melted.  

STEP 8: BRIGADEIRO TOPPING  

For the brigadeiro topping, place 400 g  sweetened condensed milk, 120 g chopped dark chocolate,180 g heavy cream, and 30 g unsalted butter in a medium saucepan.

Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, constantly stirring to avoid sticking until it becomes nice and thick.

STEP 9: 

Gently release the cake from the pan and place it on the wire rack with a baking tray underneath.

Pour ganache or brigadeiro topping on top of the cake, decorate with chocolate sprinkles and place in the fridge for 30 minutes until set.

HOW TO STORE: 

Store the Brazilian carrot cake in the refrigerator for up to five days.

HOW TO FREEZE: 

Wrap the cake without the glaze with cling film and another layer of aluminum foil. When needed, let it defrost overnight on the counter, then apply the icing.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRAZILIAN AND AMERICAN CARROT CAKE?  

American carrot cake usually comes as a layered cake and features a thick cream cheese frosting. The batter often contains nuts like pecan or walnuts and a mix of spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

Brazilian carrot cake is way simpler; the cake is only way layer, baked in a square shape or bundt pan. The batter doesn’t have any peculiar additions and has a pronounced carrot flavor. The cake is covered then in chocolate ganache or “brigadeiro,”  a coating made with chocolate and condensed milk. 

VARIATIONS:  

THE PAN: If you don’t have a bundt pan, you can bake this cake on a greased 15 x 10 baking sheet; since the cake will be thinner, you should reduce the cooking time from 45 to 25 minutes.  

BRAZILIAN CARROT CUPCAKES: Using the same recipe, you can make up to 16 cupcakes. After baking, let them cool. Apply brigadeiro topping when they are at room temperature (recipe in the description).

GLUTEN-FREE: Substitute the all-purpose flour for half almond flour and half Bob’s red mill gluten-free flour.  

DAIRY-FREE: The only dairy in the recipe is heavy cream for the ganache topping; you can substitute it with the same amount of coconut milk or cream. 

OTHER CAKE RECIPES YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

LIMONCELLO POPPY SEEDS POUND CAKE

PLUM AND ALMOND CAKE

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