Thursday, October 04, 2007

Carrot Cake, Brazilian Style!!

I was watching a cooking show this past Monday and the lady was making a carrot cake. Matheus was playing around when he saw and we started to talk:

Matheus: -Humm, carrot cake, it's been a while since you have made a carrot cake mommy.
Me: - Yes, you are right... we could make some, I like carrot cake.
Matheus: - Humm, good idea. Ohh, but I like the other one...
Me: - The other one, which one?
Matheus: - That one that you make with the chocolate on top!

But of course, that was the carrot cake I was suggesting we make!
We do like the American type cake, with the grated carrots, raisins and all (which I have made before and already posted here), but for me carrot cake will always be this one, yellowish, moist, with tender crumbs, with the glossy chocolate sauce on top. Just like my grandma made to us, just like my mom made to us, and just the way I now make for us.
This recipe was handed down to me by my grandmother Anna, which I loved with all my heart.
I would spend my vacation months at her house and she would bake simple but delicious cakes on the weekends afternoon when my aunts and uncles came to visit.
We would also bake together "bolachinhas de nata", which would probably translate to "cream cookies" (I guess...), and an Italian concoction called "crostole", which consisted from a simple dough that was rolled, cut into diamonds and then fried, finished with a sprkinle of sugar and... yummmm! These were delicious, and it has been years since I last had it, but hey, this is another post.

Today is Carrot Cake day!!
This is one of the simplest and easiest cakes you can possibly make, yet I guarantee you it is one of the tastiest cakes ever. I just absolutely love this cake, each bite brings me back to Brazil, to my mom's house, to my vacations with my grandmother....
You can't get better than this, and to prove how easy it is to make all I can say is: Matheus basically made this one!
All I did was to wash, peel, and chop the carrots. He measured and put everything else in the blender, poured (with some help) the batter into a bowl and stirred in the flour and baking powder. Cake was ready to go in the oven, and this part I helped too, of course.
I am not able to express how much I love this cake. Making it with my son is the most rewarding thing I could ever wish for, and let me tell you, a slice of warm carrot cake with the chocolate sauce still running around the plate is a very comforting food, perfect to lift me up after a week when I was not feeling my best.
We juts made this one today, and I had to come here and share. Matheus said it was the best carrot cake.... it was!
Ana















Brazilian Style Carrot Cake (Grandma Anna's recipe!)

4 carrots - raw, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 cups sugar (I use 1 1/4 cups)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I use canola oil)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Grease and flour a bundt pan (or a 13x9, rectangular pan). Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Put carrots, sugar, oil, and eggs in a blender and whiz until all pureed and smooth.
Pour batter into a bowl, add flour and baking powder and stir well with a wooden spoon until all incorporated (but don't over mix!).
Pour batter into prepared pan, bake at 350F for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Wait a few minutes for cake to cool (while you make the chocolate sauce) and invert cake into a plate. Pour hot chocolate sauce over the cake while it is still warm.
Serve cake warm or cool to room temperature (if you can wait all that long, that is!).

Chocolate glaze
2 tablespoons cocoa
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons milk

Put all ingredients into a saucepan, heat over medium-high heat and let boil for about 4 to 5 minutes, until it has thickened up. Pour hot chocolate sauce immediately over the warm cake.

Notes: I usually double the chocolate glaze recipe, especially when I make the cake on a rectangular pan (the surface area is larger and you really need more chocolate sauce to cover the top)

Here is the batter, ready to go into the pan. The picture didn't capture it well, but it had such a beautiful orange hue, it screamed Halloween to us!! hehehe!!

14 comments:

Fer Guimaraes Rosa said...

que cor linda, Ana!
realmente, esse bolo de cenoura eh coringao, acho que toda crianca ja comeu e gosta. eu particularmente gosto mais da versao brasileira, que eh mais delicada. mas fazer que eh bom, necas! :-)

beijo pra voce!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Ana! I love your carrot cake Brazilian style. Love it!

Paz

Akemi said...

Ahhh Ana, que saudades do nosso bolo de cenoura! Tão fofinho! Aqui já tentei zilhões de vezes e não tem jeito, fica sempre borrachudo, solado! :-(
Acho que são as cenouras aguadas daqui...
O seu bolo ficou tão lindo com essa calda de chocolate escorrendo!

brisa said...

Ana, eu adoro bolo de cenoura (brasileiro) soh que nao acerto fazer:(( Inclusive ja tentei fazer essa receita da sua avoh que voce deu faz tempo la no cyber..nao sei o que se passa comigo..

Seu bolo parece tao gostoso!! E tenho certo que eh..:))

Happy Friday:))

Bjs

Bri

Cris said...

Ana, acredita que este bolo aqui em casa não dura nem 2 dias... meus filhos amam! Eu uso 2 colheres de fermento, para ficar bem fofinho. Bjs!

Valentina said...

i have already made your carrot cake, vó Anna's recipe. It is truly delicious.

Akemi said...

Ana, deixei uma brincadeira para vc no Pecado. Saudades! Boa semana para vocês!

Ashley said...

WOW! that looks amazing! it looks really easy to make too. :)

Ana said...

Fe, thanks! Eu tbem gosto mais do brasileiro, eh mais fofinho, bolinho simples do jeitinho q eu gosto!

Paz, thanks!

Akemi, que pena q nao da certo. Tente bater as claras em neve e adicionar no final, da mais leveza ao bolo!

Brisa, tente como eu disse p/ a a Akemi, batendo as claras em neve e incorporando-as no final, quem sabe fica mais leve. Eu nunca tive problema com essa receita, eh tao facinha! hehe!!

Cris, eh fofinho mesmo aqui todo mundo adora tbem!

Valentina, thanks!!

SheRa, Thanks!! It is really easy to make, let me know if you try it! I would love to hear from an American to see how they like this cake!!

Ana

Anonymous said...

So simple and delicious. I used 1-1/2 cups of sugar and olive oil. I will definitely make this again. Thank you.

Andre Maia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Angélica Maia said...

Ola, estava eu olhando na internet tentando achar uma receita de bolo de cenoura mas com medidas americanas. Dai achei o seu blog! Muito obrigada!!! Amei tudo o que vc escreveu e meu bolo esta nesse exato momento no forno... Estou esperando ficar pronto pra fazer a cobertura enquanto o bolo esfria um pouquinho. Esse bolo tb me traz muitas lembrancas enquanto eu estava no Brasil e me lembro nitidamente das minhas avos e minha mae fazendo pra mim enquanto crianca e adolescente! Muitas saudades! Obrigada mais um vez!

Bruna Pinheiro said...

Oiii! Vc acha que dá pra fazer com aquelas baby carrots que já vem lavadas e descascadas? Quantas você usaria?

Bjus.

Ana said...

Oi Bruna!
Da sim, eu inclusive ja testei! rs!
Eu nao contei quando fiz com elas (ha uns bons anos alias), mas acho q umas 8 ou 10 por cenoura normal seria suficiente.
De uma olhada, bata as cenourinhas com os ovos e veja, se tiver liquido demais ou a cor muito clara coloque mais algumas!
Obrigada pela visita no blog!
Ana