With St. Patrick's Day out of the way, we're all looking forward to Easter and all the carrot cakes,
My family loves a good carrot cake. Whether it's a layered cake or a cupcake, we'll take it! Now, I'm not sure if it's the grated carrots or the idea of a vegetable in dessert, but some people just aren't fans.
So if you don't enjoy the classic American style carrot cake, why not go Brazilian? No, I'm not talking about waxing.
The carrots are blended into the cake batter, nice and smooth. No carrot bits sticking out of
Anything with chocolate, am I right?
My version is not the authentic Brazilian bolo de
I used my recipe for spiced orange bread as the base (it was a members-only recipe for my newsletter subscribers. Click HERE to get my secret recipes!).
The brigadeiro frosting is what I love most about this. Brigadeiro is a traditional Brazilian sweet that combines cocoa powder, condensed milk, butter, and chocolate sprinkles. I wanted to make it dairy-free, so I substituted regular condensed milk with homemade coconut condensed milk.
Chocolate and coconut together? To. Die. For.
I personally think I deserve an award for not eating the brigadeiro frosting out of the bowl with a spoon. Well, I didn't eat all of it. I ate some.
The cake itself is very moist. I tried to make it with maple syrup as the only sweetener so I can justify eating half a loaf in a sitting, but no. You really do need both sugar and maple syrup. I find using all maple syrup makes it too moist and not sweet enough.
I only spread half the frosting on the cake because I was rushing to finish this as my son woke up from his nap. But what I'd suggest is covering the entire loaf with the frosting and then sticking it in the fridge to let it set.
I just keep the bowl of extra frosting next to me and smear a little (ok, a spoonful) onto each bite.
I'm never losing this baby weight, am I?
To be honest, I kind of like the baby weight. Or maybe I like the fact that I have an excuse to not be as toned and fit as I used to be.
Tristan doesn't know this yet, but I've already eaten most of the cake. Because I keep it in the fridge, it's not sitting on the table where he can see it. Out of mind, out of sight, keeps me from being light. Should have come up with that for World Poetry Day a couple days ago!
If you liked this recipe, don't forget to save it on Pinterest for later, and make sure you're signed up to my newsletter where I send out a members-only recipe every month! I already gave a sneak peek on my Instagram for this month's
Carrot Cake with Brigadeiro Frosting
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 heaping cup roasted carrots
- ¾ cup (150g) cane sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
- ⅓ cup (80ml) grapeseed oil
- 1 egg
- 1½ cup (188g) Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 1 can (400ml) full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 356°F/180°C and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and set aside
- In a blender, add the carrots, sugar, maple syrup, oil, egg, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Wait 10 minutes before taking it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- Add the coconut milk and maple syrup in a saucepan and heat on medium heat until it reaches a boil, whisking continuously. Turn the heat to low and continue to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the mixture reduces by half.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the cacao powder. Let it cool completely in the refrigerator.
- Once the brigadeiro frosting is chilled, frost the cake. If you want a stiffer frosting, stick the frosted cake back in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!
Monika Dabrowski says
Such an interesting recipe, I love that you used roasted carrots as opposed to raw, and the frosting sounds gorgeous!
monika says
So I know that Brigadeiro is Brazilian.
Is this type of carrot cake (using puree instead of shredded or instead of puree bananas for banana bread) also Brazilian? Love the hue the carrots give this cake. Beautiful.
Ai says
Hi Monika! The authentic Brazilian carrot cake uses more sugar, more eggs, and more oil/butter. It's richer. Not sure about them using puréed carrots to substitute bananas in banana bread, though. Thanks for your comment 🙂
nancyc says
This looks like a real treat! And that frosting!!!!
Ai says
Thanks Nancy! Yeah, I could definitely lick the frosting from the bowl haha.
chefjulianna says
Wowser! I love carrot cake, but your frosting sounds more than divine! Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Fiesta Friday this week! I, for one, have bookmarked this and cannot wait to try it!
Ai says
Thanks Julianna! Happy Fiesta Friday!!
Nicole says
Yum, I would imagine that the frosting and the cake combine to make a delicious treat! Best to make when we are having guests or else I know I would be sneaking slices all the time.
Ai says
Haha you're not alone Nicole. I sneak baked goods all the time if I keep it in the house!
Aimee DiPasquale says
I usually love the texture that comes from a regular carrot cake but this looks incredible and I never thought of putting it together with chocolate. I have to try this.
Valerie says
Definitely giving this a try, it looks a real treat!
Ai says
Thanks Valerie! Hope you like it 🙂
Heather says
Oh. My. Word. That cake! I have never heard of the brigadeiro frosting before, but it sounds too good to have around my house! I have got to make this recipe!
Ai says
Thanks Heather! If you love chocolate and coconut, I highly recommend it 🙂
Veronica says
How creative! I would never think to put chocolate frosting on top of carrot cake. My family will love this! Brilliant idea!
Ai says
Thanks Veronica!!
Shirley says
Easter? Why not every day!!! This recipe looks quite yummy and I hope to make it very soon. Thanks!
Ai says
Thanks Shirley! Hope you like it 🙂
Enna says
The cake just turned out wonderful. Moist and fluffy and the frosting is delicious, too. Only used 120g cane sugar which, together with the frosting, was sufficiently sweet for my (European) taste.
Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe, it'll be made again for sure.
Ai says
Thank you so much for your comment Enna! I'm so glad the cake turned out so well and you loved it!
Jenny says
I am so happy to see a carrot cake recipe without walnuts (I am allergic). Plus an added bonus of chocolate? I am seriously in love with this recipe. The cake looks so rich and smooth. And pretty, of course.
Ai says
Thanks so much Jenny! No walnuts in my carrot cake! No thanks haha. I love walnuts, but they belong in other desserts, not carrot cake 😛