Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Glaze

If you think you know carrot cake, this Brazilian carrot cake is about to change everything. Forget the spiced, cream cheese–frosted American version you’re used to, this is bolo de cenoura, and it’s a completely different (and dare I say more fun?) dessert. The carrots are blended raw right into the batter with eggs, oil, and sugar, which gives this cake its signature bright orange color, incredibly moist crumb, and the easiest prep you’ll ever experience with a cake. Then you pour a glossy, fudgy brigadeiro-style chocolate glaze right over the top. It’s that simple. And it’s that good.

I’ve been wanting to travel to Brazil for the longest time. It’s been on my bucket list for years, and until I finally get there, I’ve been having so much fun recreating some of the most iconic Brazilian recipes at home. If you tried my Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo), you already know that Brazilian food just hits different. This carrot cake was the natural next recipe to tackle, and honestly? I think it might be even more addictive than the cheese bread. I said what I said!

What Is Brazilian Carrot Cake?

Brazilian carrot cake, or bolo de cenoura, is one of the most popular everyday cakes in Brazil. It’s the kind of cake Brazilian families make on a random Tuesday afternoon to have with coffee, it’s not a fancy, occasion-only dessert. And that’s part of what makes it so special.

Unlike American carrot cake, there are no spices, no raisins, no nuts, and no cream cheese frosting anywhere in sight. Instead, raw carrots are pureed in a blender with the wet ingredients until completely smooth, then folded into the dry ingredients. That’s it. The result is this stunning, vibrant orange cake that’s fluffy, moist, and barely tastes like carrots at all, the carrots act more like a natural sweetener and give the cake its unbelievable color and moisture.

It’s part of a whole tradition of Brazilian blender cakes (bolos de liquidificador), cakes made almost entirely in the blender, which makes them some of the easiest baked goods you’ll ever make.

Why You’ll Love This Brazilian Carrot Cake

• It’s a blender cake – No grating carrots by hand! You literally throw everything into the blender and press go. It doesn’t get easier than that.
• Incredibly moist and fluffy – The pureed carrots give this cake a texture that’s almost impossible to mess up. It stays soft and moist for days.
• That chocolate glaze though – A brigadeiro-style chocolate glaze made with condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and dark chocolate chips. It’s pourable, fudgy, and absolutely addictive.
• Perfect for sharing – Made in a 9×13 pan so it feeds a crowd. Great for potlucks, barbecues, or just having around the house.
• Simple pantry ingredients – Carrots, eggs, oil, sugar, flour, baking powder. That’s the whole cake. The glaze uses condensed milk, cocoa, butter, evaporated milk, and chocolate chips.

Ingrediets You’ll Need

For the Cake:

• Carrots — 3 medium carrots (about 10–11 oz), peeled and roughly chopped. You don’t need to grate them, the blender does all the work! Make sure they’re peeled for the brightest orange color.
• Eggs — 4 large eggs at room temperature. They help bind the batter and the blender incorporates a lot of air into them, which is what gives the cake its lift.
• Vegetable oil — 1 cup. This is an oil cake (not butter), which is traditional for bolo de cenoura and keeps it incredibly moist. Any neutral oil works, canola or sunflower are great too.
• Granulated sugar — 2 cups. This is standard for Brazilian carrot cake. The sweetness is balanced by the earthy carrots and the rich chocolate glaze on top.
• All-purpose flour — 2½ cups. Spoon and level your flour for the best results, scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much and make the cake dense.
• Baking powder — 1 teaspoon. This gives this cake just enough rise.
• Salt — ½ teaspoon. Just to balance the sweetness.

For the Chocolate Glaze:

• Sweetened condensed milk — 1 can (14 oz). This is the base of the brigadeiro-style glaze and gives it that signature rich, caramelly sweetness.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder — 3 tablespoons. Use a good quality cocoa for the best chocolate flavor.
• Unsalted butter — 2 tablespoons. Adds richness and helps the glaze set with more body.
• Evaporated milk — ⅓ cup. This is closer to the traditional Brazilian creme de leite than heavy cream and gives the glaze that perfect pourable-but-not-too-thin consistency.
• Dark chocolate chips — ⅓ cup. Stirred in at the very end off the heat for a deeper, richer chocolate flavor.

How to Make Brazilian Carrot Cake

Step 1: Blend the Batter

Preheat your oven and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan. Add the chopped carrots, eggs, oil, and sugar to your blender and blend on high until completely smooth, about 60 seconds. You want no visible carrot pieces at all. The batter will be bright orange and slightly frothy.

Step 2: Mix and Bake

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the blender mixture into the dry ingredients and fold everything together with a spatula until just combined. Don’t overmix, the batter will be smooth and pourable, which is exactly what you want. Pour it into your prepared pan and bake for 24-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Step 3: Make the Chocolate Glaze

While the cake bakes (or cools slightly), combine the condensed milk, cocoa powder, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until smooth and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the evaporated milk, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for another 2–3 minutes until it thickens back up and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the dark chocolate chips until completely melted and glossy.

Step 4: Glaze and Cool

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, you want it warm but not super hot so the glaze soaks in slightly without melting right through. Pour the chocolate glaze evenly over the warm cake and spread it to the edges with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Let the cake cool completely before slicing. The glaze will set into a glossy, fudgy layer that’s absolutely irresistible.

Brazilian Carrot Cake vs. American Carrot Cake

People always ask me about this, so let me break it down! American carrot cake has grated carrot shreds in the batter, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, often includes nuts, raisins, or pineapple, and is frosted with thick cream cheese frosting. It’s usually beige or brown in color.

Brazilian carrot cake is a completely different dessert. The carrots are pureed until smooth (not grated), there are zero spices, no add-ins, and the cake is a vibrant orange color. Instead of cream cheese frosting, it’s topped with a thin, glossy chocolate glaze, which is really a brigadeiro-style sauce made with condensed milk and cocoa. The texture is lighter and fluffier, and it’s so much easier to make since the blender does most of the work.

Both are delicious in their own way, but if you’ve never tried the Brazilian version, you need to! It’s a whole different experience.

Substitutions and Variations

• Evaporated milk: You can swap it for heavy cream, half and half, or media crema. Media crema is actually the closest to the traditional Brazilian creme de leite.
• Oil: Any neutral oil works, vegetable, canola, sunflower, or even light olive oil. Don’t use coconut oil as it can solidify and change the texture.
• Cocoa powder: You can use Dutch-process or natural unsweetened cocoa. Dutch-process will give a slightly deeper, smoother chocolate flavor.
• Dark chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips work great too if you want a slightly sweeter glaze. You could also chop a chocolate bar instead.
• Pan size: This recipe is written for a 9×13 pan, but you can use an 9×9 for a thicker cake, just add 5–10 minutes to the bake time and keep an eye on it.

How to Store Brazilian Carrot Cake

This cake is best served at room temperature the day it’s made, but it keeps really well! Cover it tightly and store at room temperature for 2–3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If refrigerating, let it come back to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor. You can also freeze the cake (without the glaze) wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and add fresh glaze when you’re ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Brazilian Recipes to Try

If this Brazilian carrot cake has you craving more Brazilian flavors (it will!), make sure you check out my Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo) recipe. They’re crispy on the outside, stretchy and chewy on the inside, naturally gluten-free, and dangerously addictive. Made in a mini muffin pan for the easiest prep ever. Trust me — you’ll want to make both!

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Brazilian Carrot Cake (Bolo de Cenoura) with Chocolate Glaze

A classic Brazilian bolo de cenoura — raw carrots are blended right into the batter for an incredibly moist, vibrant orange cake, topped with a glossy, pourable brigadeiro-style chocolate glaze.

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Ingredients  

• ▢ 3 pieces medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped (about 10-11 oz)
• ▢ 4 pieces large eggs
• ▢ 1 cups vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tablespoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk one 14 oz can
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/3 cups evaporated milk
• ▢ 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips

Instructions 

• Preheat & prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and set aside.
• Blend the wet ingredients: Add 3 pieces medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (about 10-11 oz), 4 pieces large eggs, 1 cups vegetable oil, and 2 cups granulated sugar to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth with no visible carrot pieces, about 60 seconds. The mixture will be bright orange and slightly frothy.
• Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoons baking powder, and 0.3 teaspoons salt.
• Mix the batter: Pour the blender mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold everything together until just combined — don’t overmix. The batter will be thin and pourable.
• Bake the cake: Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13 inch pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Start the chocolate glaze: While the cake bakes (or cools slightly), combine 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (one 14 oz can), 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth, bubbling gently, and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Add evaporated milk & thicken: Stir in 0.3 cups evaporated milk and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue simmering and stirring for another 2-3 minutes until the glaze thickens back up and coats the back of a spoon.
• Finish with chocolate chips: Remove the saucepan from heat and immediately stir in 0.3 cups dark chocolate chips until completely melted and the glaze is glossy and smooth.
• Let cake cool briefly: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. You want it still warm but not screaming hot — this helps the glaze soak in slightly without melting right through.
• Glaze the cake: Pour the warm chocolate glaze evenly over the warm cake, using a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it to the edges. Let the cake cool completely before slicing — the glaze will set into a glossy, fudgy layer.

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Notes

This cake is best served at room temperature the day it’s made, but it keeps well covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. The blender does all the heavy lifting here — no need to grate carrots! Make sure to blend until completely smooth so you don’t get any carrot chunks. The glaze should be pourable but not watery — if it seems too thick, add a tiny splash more evaporated milk. If it’s too thin, cook it for another minute or two while stirring.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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