Brazilian Carrot Cake with Flowing Brigadeiro

Hi, friends! This carrot cake gets a generous, soft brigadeiro topping that fills the center of a ring cake and flows into the opening when you cut a slice. The key is stopping the chocolate mixture before it becomes firm enough to roll into candies. Use a rimmed plate and let both cake and topping lose their excess heat before assembling.

Jump to ingredients and steps

Prep

25 minutes

Cook or chill

40–50 minutes baking; 12–18 minutes topping

Yield

about 12 slices

Ingredients

Weights and milliliters preserve the original recipe. Cup volumes are rounded for U.S. kitchens; the source uses a 240 ml cup. Where a weight is given, use it for accuracy. Use level measuring spoons and spoon flour into the cup without packing.

Cake

• 250 g peeled carrots (about 9 oz), cut into small pieces
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup neutral oil (120 ml)
• 1½ cups granulated sugar (300 g)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g; use the weight)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (12 g)
• Pinch of salt
• Butter or oil and flour for the pan

Brigadeiro topping

• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk (395 g each; about 14 oz each)
• 400 g table cream (about 14 oz)
• 6 level tablespoons sweetened 50%-cocoa powder (48 g)
• 1 tablespoon butter (15 g)
• Chocolate sprinkles, optional

How to make it

1. Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a 24 cm tube pan, approximately 9½ inches, with a capacity near 2½ liters (about 10½ cups).
2. Blend the eggs, oil, and carrots until completely smooth, then add the sugar and blend to combine. Turn the blender off before scraping the sides.
3. Transfer to a bowl. Fold in the sifted flour and salt in two or three batches with a spatula or hand whisk, stopping when no dry flour remains.
4. Gently fold in the baking powder. The batter should be creamy and fall from the spatula in a thick ribbon.
5. Fill the pan no more than two-thirds full and bake for 40–50 minutes. Avoid opening the oven during the first 30 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick: moist crumbs are fine, raw batter is not.
6. After baking, cool for 15–20 minutes, loosen gently, and unmold onto a large rimmed plate. Wait until only lightly warm before topping.
7. In a heavy saucepan off the heat, dissolve the sifted cocoa product into the condensed milk. Add butter and cream.
8. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly along the bottom and corners. The mixture generally takes 12–18 minutes, but watch its texture rather than the clock.
9. Stop when it falls from the spatula in a wide continuous ribbon and a path scraped across the bottom closes quickly. Do not wait until it comes away from the pan as a single mass.
10. Let the brigadeiro become warm, stirring occasionally. It thickens a little as it cools.
11. Spoon it into the cake’s central hole gradually, stopping near the top. Spread more over the surface and let it run naturally down the sides. Serve any extra separately rather than overflowing the plate.
12. Add optional sprinkles and cut while the topping is still soft.

Small details that help

The amount of topping that fits inside the cake depends on the size of the center hole. Use a large rimmed plate and do not force all the brigadeiro onto a small cake. The source uses sweetened Brazilian 50%-cocoa powder. For a weighed substitute, mix equal weights of unsweetened cocoa and sugar: 48 g of the source product becomes 24 g cocoa plus 24 g sugar, in addition to the recipe’s listed sugar. This matches the nominal cocoa/sugar proportion, though brands can differ. Do not use hot cocoa mix or replace it with the same weight of pure cocoa without adjusting.

Serving and storing

Keep this dairy-rich dessert covered in the refrigerator at 40°F or below. Use within 3 days. Take out only the portions you plan to serve. Refrigerate perishable foods within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when it is above 90°F. USDA storage and reheating guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Which variation will you try next?

Crisp chocolate glazeFlowing brigadeiroMarbled carrot cake

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