Foodly Experts
To discover how long to bake a carrot cake it’s essential to hit the right nail on the recipe, resulting in a tasty cake and look that a lot of people get it wrong!
The truth is that the recipe is recognized as one of the most consumed delicacies in Brazil when it comes to homemade cake. However, to make the perfect recipe it is necessary to pay attention to different factors and the oven time is one of the most impacting on the cake’s structure.
Here are the main instructions for baking your carrot cake correctly, as well as tips on how to make the perfect recipe and surprise everyone.
Contenus
How long to bake a carrot cake?
For a traditional recipe, the carrot cake baking time can range from 35 to 40 minutes.
Of course, this time is estimated for a recipe that follows the method of preparation correctly, that is, if you have added too much carrots or mixed the ingredients too little, the time can vary a lot.
There are many elements that influence the result of a cake, such as the quality of the ingredients, following the measurements, attention to the way of preparation, among others, but the temperature and the oven time are crucial to consolidate the previous steps.
However, people’s ovens tend to have a wide variation in temperature, whether for more or less. Added to this, there is the size of the recipe, as a common recipe takes less time compared to one with more ingredients.
However, if even after this time you notice that the cake is not baking properly, another problem may be behind it, see the main causes below.
Why does my carrot cake get lonely?
You’ve already made a recipe, but the carrot cake looked like a pudding? In addition to the temperature, the amount of carrot added must be millimetric to what the recipe calls for.
This is the main mistake of most carrot cakes that go wrong, that is, believing that adding more carrots than necessary will bring more flavor and more color, but that’s not quite the case.
When you put it in excess, the dough becomes heavy, preventing the ideal action of the yeast and flour, resulting in a low, heavy, rubbery and, in many cases, poorly baked cake. Hence we have the similarity to the pudding.
Another attitude that favors the recipe to fail, especially for carrot cake, is to blend everything in a blender. This helps the dough to become heavy and it is best to mix it by hand, with a spatula or fuê. In fact, I much prefer it!
EXTRA TIP: try cooking the carrots before mixing with the recipe, as it avoids leftover pieces of carrot that don’t bake properly. Also, it helps a lot to bring more color to the dough. 😉
Carrot Cake: 5 Secrets to the Perfect Cake
1. Add only the necessary carrots
As I mentioned, the carrot needs to be in balance with the rest of the ingredients. I know it can be tempting to add « just a little more carrot », but it can and will easily ruin your recipe.
Recipes usually ask for around 3 medium-sized carrots or something close to 250g. If it’s a family recipe, it’s even more recommended to follow the instructions properly.
2. The carrot needs to be completely reduced
Whether crushed or boiled, the carrot just needs to be fun in the recipe, that is, you don’t need to find bits of carrot for the cake to taste good. On the contrary, harmony comes from having the flavor of carrots, yes, but in combination with everything else.
An efficient way to get this result is to cook all the carrots first, as I mentioned above. This process helps to break the carrot’s resistance and favors its incorporation into the recipe in a complete and satisfactory way.
3. Make sure you mix everything carefully
Here’s a golden tip: never mix all the ingredients directly in a blender. With this, after you have mixed the eggs, oil and carrots, transfer to a separate bowl and gradually add the ingredients.
It is worth noting that wheat flour is the ingredient you need to be more careful about. To make it safe, add it gradually and always stirring with the fuê. This way, you ensure that the dough is airy, light and fluffy.
4. Sift the wheat flour and sugar
And speaking of wheat flour, sift the total amount of flour and sugar as well. Although it seems simple and without much weight for the recipe, know that when sifting you eliminate any lumps, better separate the grains and increase the lightness of the dough. This is the big secret of the soft recipe. 😉
5. Oven at the right temperature is the key
Pay full attention to your oven temperature. It needs to be preheated to 180° for at least 15 minutes. After adding the yeast and mixing, take 35 to 40 minutes, but under no circumstances open the oven before the first 20 minutes, otherwise the cake will wither, lose its growth potency and it will certainly go out in the sun.
See how it’s not difficult to properly bake the carrot cake? Now it’s up to you to get your hands dirty and reinvent this Brazilian culinary tradition.
If you want to specialize even more in the production of homemade cakes, get to know the Homemade Cakes Course, which I always recommend here. Maybe this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to set up your own business. 😉
I hope you enjoyed my tips, be sure to share with friends so that everyone can learn how to make this fantastic recipe. Good recipe and see you next time!
