A blender-style carrot cake with a classic cooked chocolate glaze that sets thin and glossy. Sugar is reduced with powdered erythritol and a small sucralose trim while keeping the familiar carrot-cake profile. Designed as one 23 x 23 cm tray cake for 9 portions (about 150 g each), with reliable fridge storage.
- ⏲️ Prep time: ~25 min
- 🍳 Cook time: ~38 min
- 🍽️ Servings: 9 portions (about 150 g each)
- ❄️ Freezer-friendly (un-glazed slices or sponge portions only)
Ingredients
Carrot cake sponge (23 x 23 cm pan)
- 250 g carrots, peeled and chopped
- 180 g eggs (about 3 large)
- 90 g neutral oil
- 120 g Greek yogurt (2-5% fat)
- 110 g sugar
- 55 g powdered erythritol
- Sucralose equivalent to 35 g sugar sweetness (per product label)
- 175 g plain flour
- 40 g unflavoured whey isolate
- 10 g baking powder
- 3 g baking soda
- 3 g fine salt
- 3 g ground cinnamon
- 2 g glycerol monostearate (GMS)
- Up to 30 g milk or extra yogurt, only if batter is too thick
- Up to 16 g extra plain flour, only if batter is too loose
Cooked chocolate glaze
- 70 g sugar
- 15 g powdered erythritol (optional)
- 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 90 g water
- 14 g unsalted butter
Directions
Carrot cake sponge
- Heat oven to 175 C conventional (or 165 C fan) and line a 23 x 23 cm pan with parchment.
- If the chopped carrots release visible free water, drain only the loose liquid and keep the carrots otherwise intact.
- Add carrots, eggs, oil, yogurt, sugar, powdered erythritol, sucralose dose, and GMS to a blender and blend 45-60 seconds until fully smooth.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, whey isolate, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until evenly combined.
- Pour the blended wet base into the dry mix and fold just until no dry pockets remain.
- Check batter texture: it should fall in thick ribbons and level slowly in 8-12 seconds; if too thick, add milk or yogurt 10 g at a time (up to 30 g), and if too loose, fold in flour 8 g at a time (up to 16 g).
- Spread batter evenly in the lined pan and bake 32-38 minutes, until a center skewer comes out with moist crumbs and the top springs back lightly.
- Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then lift out and cool completely before glazing.
Cooked chocolate glaze
- Add sugar, powdered erythritol (if using), cocoa powder, and water to a small saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat until the mixture steams and medium-to-large bubbles appear around the edges, then let it bubble gently for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add butter, and whisk until fully melted and glossy.
- Spread glaze over the cooled cake while warm and fluid, then leave to cool until the surface sets into a thin crackly shell.
Portioning & Storage
Per portion (plated):
- 1 portion = 1/9 cake (about 150 g ready-to-eat)
Batch yield:
- Total finished yield: about 1,350 g (sponge plus glaze)
Storage
- Refrigerator: up to 4 days, covered
- Freezer: up to 1 month for un-glazed slices or sponge portions wrapped airtight
- Thaw frozen portions overnight in the refrigerator before serving
Nutritional Information (Approximate)
(1 portion = 1/9 cake, about 150 g; assumed total finished yield about 1,350 g)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | ~325 kcal | ~217 kcal |
| Protein | ~10.0 g | ~6.7 g |
| Total carbohydrates | ~39.5 g | ~26.3 g |
| Sugars | ~22.0 g | ~14.7 g |
| Fat | ~14.5 g | ~9.7 g |
| Saturated fat | ~3.0 g | ~2.0 g |
| Fibre | ~2.3 g | ~1.5 g |
| Sodium | ~420 mg | ~280 mg |
Sodium assumption: includes 3 g fine salt in the sponge (1 g salt about 393 mg sodium, so about 1,180 mg sodium from added salt), plus naturally occurring sodium from eggs, yogurt, whey, cocoa, and leavening agents.
Notes
- This keeps the Panelinha-style identity: blended carrot batter and a cooked chocolate glaze that is poured warm and sets with slight crackle.
- Sweetness is engineered as sugar plus erythritol with a small sucralose correction, so browning and moisture stay closer to classic carrot cake than full sugar replacement.
- Whey is capped at 40 g and limited to the sponge to raise protein without pushing chalky texture or muting carrot flavor.
- Low-dose GMS (2 g) supports emulsion stability and helps maintain a soft crumb under reduced sugar and added protein.
- The glaze is intentionally protein-free, so it stays glossy, spreadable when warm, and cleanly set after cooling.