Vegan Brazilian carrot cake - a moist, tender, super soft carrot sponge cake topped with a rich chocolate fudge frosting.
It is really quick and easy to make in a blender - no grating carrots needed!
What Is Brazilian Carrot Cake?:
Unlike American carrot cake, Brazilian carrot cake (bolo de cenoura) does not contain any spices, and the carrot is blended rather than grated. It is also topped with chocolate frosting rather than a cream cheese one. As you can see, the only real similarity between the two is that they both contain carrots, they are different cakes entirely!
Brazilian carrot cake is very light, fluffy and moist due to the blended carrots, which also give it a beautiful vibrant colour. The flavour is subtle and is complemented really well by the chocolate frosting.
Traditionally it is topped with brigadeiro which is made with condensed milk and cocoa powder, though other versions use a simple chocolate sauce or ganache instead.
As vegan condensed milk can be hard to find, I topped my vegan Brazilian carrot cake with a chocolate fudge frosting which is somewhere in between the ganache and chocolate sauce options.
Ingredient Details:
Carrots: Peel them and chop them into chunks to make it easier for the blender, there is no need to grate them however!
Non-dairy yogurt: I love using plant yogurt in vegan cakes, it is a great egg replacer and keeps the cake moist as well as adding flavour.
Either soy or coconut yogurt will work, I prefer to use Greek style soya yogurt. I haven't tested any substitutes for the yogurt I'm afraid but you could maybe get away with just using milk instead.
Olive oil: I like to use olive oil but you can swap it for another neutral oil if you prefer. Do not use coconut oil, it may make the cake too dense.
Sugar: Caster or granulated sugar is best. Do not use sweeteners or liquid sugars instead.
Vinegar: This reacts with the raising agents to help the cake rise and give it a light texture. I use either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. You can also use lemon juice instead.
Plain flour and cornflour: Regular plain (all-purpose) flour with a bit of cornflour (cornstarch) added gives the crumb a nice texture. You can swap the cornflour for an equal weight of plain flour if you don't have any, but I do recommend using it if you can.
Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda): You really do need both for the best texture and rise.
For the frosting you will need dark chocolate, cocoa powder, plant milk, sugar and vegan butter.
How To Make Vegan Brazilian Carrot Cake:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: Place the roughly chopped carrots in a blender along with the oil, sugar, yogurt, vanilla extract and vinegar. Blend until smooth, with no lumps of carrot.
Step 2: Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the cornflour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, followed by the plain flour.
Step 3: Pour the batter into a lined 20-23 cm square cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Step 4: Once the cake has cooled make the frosting. Place the cocoa powder, milk, sugar, butter, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a pan over a low heat. Whisk until melted and smooth then bring up to a simmer.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stir until melted then set aside to cool and firm up slightly before spreading it over the cake.
Top Tips:
USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Tablespoon and teaspoon measurements are for standard measuring spoons, NOT regular kitchen spoons. A Tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml and they should be level, not heaped.
Weigh the carrots! You want 300g AFTER peeling them. If you are too far under or over that weight it will affect the texture of the cake.
Only blend the liquid ingredients, do not add the flour to the blender; you want to mix that in by hand otherwise the cake may end up dense and chewy, not light and fluffy.
I use a 20 cm (8 in) square cake tin but a 23 cm (9 in) tin will also work. The cake may bake slightly quicker as it is thinner.
Instead of the chocolate fudge frosting you can use ganache or a vegan brigadeiro.
FAQ's:
This vegan Brazilian carrot cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes it freezes well though I recommend freezing the cake before adding the chocolate frosting if possible. Allow it to cool completely then wrap it well to prevent freezer burn and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature then add the frosting to serve.
The carrot flavour is very subtle, it mostly tastes like an elevated vanilla cake. The carrots provide moisture and give the cake it's bright orange-yellow colour.
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Brazilian Carrot Cake (Bolo De Cenoura)
Ingredients
Cake:
- 300 g (peeled weight) carrots roughly chopped
- 145 g (160 ml/⅔ cup) neutral oil (I use olive, do not use coconut)
- 225 g (1 cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 80 g (⅓ cup) Greek style soya yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar
- 50 g (5 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 270 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
- 30 g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder
- 80 g (6 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- 180 g (¾ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 30 g (2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 g (4 ½ oz) dark chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a 20 cm/8 in square cake tin with baking parchment.
- Place the roughly chopped carrots in a blender along with the oil, sugar, yogurt, vanilla extract and vinegar. Blend until completely smooth, with no lumps of carrot.300 g (peeled weight) carrots, 145 g (160 ml/⅔ cup) neutral oil (I use olive, do not use coconut), 225 g (1 cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, 80 g (⅓ cup) Greek style soya yogurt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar
- Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl and use a balloon whisk to whisk in the cornflour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, followed by the plain flour. Be careful not to over-beat the batter, stop mixing as soon as it is fully combined.50 g (5 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch), 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), ¼ teaspoon salt, 270 g (2 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread it level. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully turn it out onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled make the frosting. Place the cocoa powder, milk, sugar, butter, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a pan over a low heat. Whisk until melted and smooth then bring up to a simmer.30 g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder, 80 g (6 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, 180 g (¾ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy), 30 g (2 Tablespoons) vegan block butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate, stir until melted then set aside to cool and firm up to a spreadable consistency before using a palette knife to spread it over the cake. If you leave it too long and it sets too firm, simply place the pan over a low heat for a few seconds whilst stirring and it will become spreadable again.125 g (4 ½ oz) dark chocolate
Notes
- See post abover for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- I use a 20 cm (8 in) square cake tin but a 23 cm (9 in) tin will also work. The cake may bake slightly quicker as it is thinner.
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It’s great to see a version that doesn’t rely on hard-to-find vegan condensed milk. The fudge frosting sounds like a smart workaround that still captures that rich chocolate finish — can’t wait to try this out!
Liz
I made this today and it's lovely and moist and a pretty colour. Sadly your recipe appeared too late to test it on my Brazilian sister-in-law when she visited us last weekend
Sue Ellis
This cake was So Easy to make.
Thank you! I didn't have plain flour so used self raising and only one teaspoon of baking powder.
I also used again because I had it in a dairy free cheesecake frosting, I know it's cheating. The whole thing was delicious.