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
Hi, I am Brazilian living in California.
I was looking for a good recipe of Bolo de cenoura and I am going to try yours. Both look fantastic! I think I am going to make a thin brigadeiro for the top. Thanks for the recipe!
I am making this for Easter dessert. I couldn’t resist the cream cheese frosting though, so it is kind of a mash up of cultures. I think it will be delicious!
Do you think this cake would do ok in a sheet pan?
I think it would bake just fine- I’m just not sure on the sizing- I would think you would need maybe 1 1/2 x the recipe?
I’m Brazilian, and just happened to end in here hahaha. here in Brazil, we really love this cake!! Is national passion haha
Sometimes we prefer to do Brigadeiro ( Brazilian truffles) to put on the cake, but more thin than the truffles. This’s made of sweetened milk, powdered chocolate and a bit of butter! But you can’t cook so much, or it’ll be too stiff! It’s our favorite! (Sorry if my English isn’t so good ?)
Your english is great, Beatriz! Thanks for your comment!
This is in the oven right now! Thanks sooooooo much for posting this recipe. My family is Brazilian and makes this all the time, will be nice to have a taste of “home” while abroad.
You had me at Brazilian carrot cake!! I love this cake and also have happy memories eating it as a missionary in Brasília years ago. I enjoyed your mission memories and pictures. Brasil will always have a special place in my heart too. Thanks for the recipe! I will make it so I can show my kids what “real” carrot cake should taste like. ? Obrigada!!
We don’t do carrot cake at my house because of allergies to pineapple and walnuts. I think I’m going to try this one though.
Interesting cake. Paula Deen has a recipe for carrot cake made with baby food carrots. I have never tried it as I and my family enjoy the shredded carrots. I replace 1/2 of the oil with coconut milk and also put a small can of crushed pineapple in it. Everyone really loved it that way. I use the home made cream cheese frosting and found a recipe that there was not as much powdered sugar as most call for. It is a heavy cake but I am able to make it a 2 layer. Happy Baking.
Made this for our Easter dessert. Sooooo good! Will be making this one again for sure! You ladies are the best 🙂
I made this and loved it… And I have literally no connections to Brazil. I was just really intrigued by the idea of blending up raw carrots in the blender for cake, and it worked beautifully!
The next time I make this, I might even take it a step further and put it into two layers and put a layer of orange marmalade in between before putting the ganache on top. I ended up testing my theory by smearing orange marmalade on a few slices I ate today, and it was truly amazing.
So glad you liked it! Orange marmalade sounds amazing with it!