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Bolo de cenura is a beloved form of carrot cake in Brazil. It’s often served around Easter, but is also an easy all-purpose cake made for any kind of gathering or celebration throughout the year. It’s very different from American-style carrot cake, but equally delicious!
Brazilian carrot cake is an ultra-moist and tender cake topped with either a chocolate glaze or a cooked chocolate frosting. Instead of being incorporated as shredded pieces, carrots are blended into the batter, giving the cake a vibrant yellow-orange hue. The cake has a subtle carrot flavor—most of my tasters said that it tasted like a really good yellow cake!—which pairs surprisingly well with the chocolate topping.
I chose the rich, fudgy cooked chocolate frosting option for this recipe. The mixture is essentially the same as what you’d use to make brigadeiro (rolled Brazilian chocolate truffles), but just a bit looser so it’s easily spreadable onto the cake. It’s made with sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, and chocolate chips for double the chocolate flavor. A scattering of chocolate sprinkles on top brings it all together for a centerpiece cake that’s secretly super easy to make.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
How Is Brazilian Carrot Cake Different?
The carrots in Brazilian carrot cake are completely puréed into the batter so the batter is smooth. In contrast, American carrot cake contains shredded carrots and often other chunky mix-ins such as nuts or dried fruit. American carrot cake is also characterized by warm spices, like cinnamon, whereas, Brazilian carrot cake does not use any spices.
American carrot cake is usually frosted with a cream cheese frosting, while Brazilian carrot cake is coated in a chocolate glaze or cooked chocolate frosting (often, but not always, containing condensed milk).
Tips for Making This Brazilian Carrot Cake
- You can use a food processor instead of a blender. I don’t recommend a stick blender though; most aren’t powerful enough to completely liquefy the carrots.
- When cooking the frosting, do not stop stirring. The mixture catches on the bottom of the pan easily. I recommend using a flexible rubber spatula so you can really get into the corners and prevent any sticking or burning.
- For a fancier shape, you can bake this cake in a bundt pan, though the baking time will be longer and will vary depending on the size and shape of your pan.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
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For the cake
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Baking spray with flour
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3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
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2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
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4 large eggs
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1 cup neutral oil, such as canola
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2 1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon salt
For the frosting
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1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
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1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
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1/4 cup (25 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
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1/8 teaspoon salt
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Chocolate sprinkles, optional
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with baking spray with flour.
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Make the batter:
To make the cake, process the carrots, sugar, eggs, and oil in a blender until completely smooth, about 90 seconds.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the blended carrot mixture into the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and gently tap the pan on the counter to smooth the batter into an even layer.
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Bake:
Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Let the cake cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
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Make the frosting:
To make the frosting, in a small saucepan, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, cream, cocoa, chocolate chips, butter, and salt.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened to a pudding-like consistency, 10 to 12 minutes. When dragging a spatula through the middle of the saucepan, you should see the bottom of the pot for about 1 second.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
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Frost and serve:
Spread the warm frosting evenly over the cooled cake in the pan. Garnish with the chocolate sprinkles, if desired. Let cool to set completely before slicing and serving, about 1 hour.
Leftovers can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 473 | Calories |
| 23g | Fat |
| 62g | Carbs |
| 7g | Protein |
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 16 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 473 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| 23g | 30% |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 32% |
| 70mg | 23% |
| 210mg | 9% |
| 62g | 22% |
| Dietary Fiber 1g | 5% |
| Total Sugars 45g | |
| 7g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 7% |
| Calcium 165mg | 13% |
| Iron 2mg | 11% |
| Potassium 206mg | 4% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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