Paola Velez's Carrot Cake with Passion Fruit Glaze Recipe

The executive pastry chef of La Bodega Bakery in Washington, D.C., shares a simple but showstopping spring dessert.

Photo: Caitlin Bensel

The executive pastry chef of La Bodega Bakery in Washington, D.C., shares a simple but showstopping spring dessert.

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• cooking spray
• 1 ½ cups shredded carrots (from 2 large carrots)
• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• ⅔ cup safflower or canola oil, plus more for pan
• ½ cup golden raisins
• ¼ cup roasted sunflower-seed kernels
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons passion fruit juice
• Edible violas, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper.
• Step 2Beat carrots, brown sugar, mashed banana, oil, raisins and sunflower seeds with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed until well-combined, about 2 mintues.
• Step 3Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add to carrot mixture; beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.
• Step 4Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until loaf is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 5o to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
• Step 5Whisk together powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon passion fruit juice in a small bowl. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon juice, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Pour glaze over cake; garnish with violas.

Tips

Resist the urge to buy pre-shredded carrots. Grating your own will result in thinner pieces, which will cook and soften evenly (no crunch!) and keep the cake moist.