Adding fruits and veggies into my baked goods is one of my favorite things to do. Yes, it does add fiber and nutrients into your baked goods. But what I love most about it are the flavors. And this carrot cake is no different.
Carrots have a natural sweetness to them that makes it ideal for baking. Its beautiful orange color comes with amazing antioxidant benefits and carrots are a wonderful source of vitamin A and fiber. And believe me when I say that having a rich fiber source in your baked goods is a MUST for a few reasons.
For starters, fiber helps you feel full quicker. So it’s ideal that when you do have treats, they come with a generous amount of fiber. That way you don’t feel like you have to eat a lot of it to feel satisfied. Fiber also happens to be great for your gut since it helps you stay regular and your gut bacteria loves it! Which we now know that we are more bacteria than human cells anyways. Keep those little guys happy with some good food and lots of fiber. Your body will thank you!
Now let’s talk about this beauty – the carrot cake!
The reason why I called it Brazilian style is simply because Brazilians have a different way of making carrot cake. A typical American carrot cake comes with carrot shreds, dried fruit, nuts, coconut shreds, and spices. It’s lastly covered with some cream cheese frosting of sorts. The Brazilian carrot cake is a little simpler. It’s just the carrots and they’re meant to be blended very well in the dough. So for this one, you’ll use a blender or food processor instead of a mixer.
A traditional Brazilian carrot cake will also be topped with a chocolate ganache or just a delicious layer of chocolate brigadeiro. And if brigadeiros are new to you, they consist of condensed milk, milk (optional), and cacao cooked in a pan until it thickens. You then roll it into little balls and top it with chocolate sprinkles. To have brigadeiro as a cake topping, you cook it less so it’s not as thick and then you just coat your cake with it. It’s quite delicious!
However, for this recipe I did want to go simple and make it more about the carrots. Sans chocolate. And if you are wondering why it has 2 different colors, well here’s my hypothesis. I believe that this happened because I might not have mixed it enough and the tiny tiny carrot pieces were heavy and sunk to the bottom while it was baking.
Why did I still post this one?
For one main reason. I want you to see that cooking and baking are not perfect. Little mistakes happen here and there and you learn from it. That’s how you become good at something. By practicing. And it’s what I always say, I am not a chef. But I do love food and am taking the time and dedication to give my body amazing nutrients. Because it’s my main self-love and self-care act.
I now invite you to join me in also making tons of mistakes in the kitchen my dear friends. It’ll be fun! 😉
Carrot Cake Recipe
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
- 3-4 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oil of choice (tip – go with melted coconut oil for an added coconut flavor)
- 3 eggs (organic if possible)
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the food processor or blender add: carrot slices, brown sugar, oil, and eggs. Blend until mix is smooth and you no longer see carrot pieces.
- Add to the cake mix the flours, baking soda, and baking powder and mix until even combined.
- Pour cake batter in a baking dish – I used a loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes. NOTE: if you’re using a cake baking dish instead, baking time will be less (probably around 45 minutes).
- Check if cake is fully cooked by pricking it with a fork or toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s fully baked.
- Enjoy with a delicious cup of tea, coffee, or hot cocoa.
- Store cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
