Bolo de Cenoura (Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Ganache)

About This Recipe

Brazilian Bolo de Cenoura is nothing like its North American counterpart with cream cheese frosting and walnut studding. The Brazilian version is an intensely orange, incredibly moist blender cake made by liquefying the carrots directly into the batter (no grating required), producing a smooth, vibrant, carrot-forward cake that has no spices competing with its clean, sweet flavor. The topping is equally Brazilian: a thick, glossy chocolate brigadeiro sauce poured over the warm cake, set into a crackling, fudgy glaze. The blender method is the genius of this recipe — no grating, no peeling and grating board, no orange hands. Raw carrots, eggs, oil and sugar go directly into the blender until completely smooth, then flour and baking powder are folded in. The result is a uniformly orange, ultra-moist crumb that is quintessentially Brazilian in its simplicity and satisfying flavor combination. Bolo de Cenoura is the most popular cake in Brazil for afternoon coffee (o cafezinho) — served in homes, bakeries and coffee shops nationwide, the slab of carrot cake with its glossy chocolate top is as Brazilian as brigadeiro and pão de queijo. Make it on a Sunday afternoon, serve slightly warm so the chocolate topping is still glossy and soft, with a strong cup of Brazilian coffee.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 3 mediumcarrots(peeled and roughly chopped (about 300g))
• 3 largeeggs
• 1 cupvegetable oil
• 2 cupsgranulated sugar
• 2½ cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 tbspbaking powder
• ½ tspsalt
• 1 can (14 oz)sweetened condensed milk(for chocolate ganache)
• 4 tbspunsalted butter(for ganache)
• 4 tbspunsweetened cocoa powder(for ganache)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blend the wet batter

   Blend carrots, eggs, oil and sugar until completely smooth — about 2 minutes. The mixture should be uniformly orange with no carrot chunks.

   Blend until perfectly smooth — any carrot chunks create uneven texture in the cake.

2. 2

   Fold in dry ingredients

   In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in the carrot mixture and fold until just combined. Do not overmix.

3. 3

   Bake

   Pour into a greased and floured 9×13 pan. Bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden.

4. 4

   Make chocolate ganache (brigadeiro)

   While cake bakes, combine condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly and pulls from the sides, about 8 minutes.

   The ganache should be thick enough to coat a spoon but still pourable — it continues thickening as it cools.

5. 5

   Pour and set

   Pour warm ganache over the just-baked warm cake. Spread evenly. Let cool 20 minutes before slicing — the ganache sets into a glossy, slightly fudgy layer.

Variations

• •

  Cream cheese frosting version: for a cross-cultural approach, substitute North American cream cheese frosting.

• •

  Walnut addition: fold ¾ cup toasted walnuts into the batter just before baking.

• •

  Orange Bolo de Cenoura: add 1 tbsp orange zest to the blender and substitute 2 tbsp of the oil with orange juice.

Storage

Store covered at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. The ganache topping stays glossy and firm at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions