Gajar Halwa Cake or Carrot Halwa cake is a rich and moist cake full of flavor topped with a sour cream glaze. This is a fusion recipe made using classic gajar ka halwa and basic cake ingredients. It's the best carrot cake you will ever make.
Check out our best dessert for Diwali, popular Christmas holiday desserts.
Recipe card
Gajar Halwa Cake | Indian Eggless Carrot Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Carrot Halwa Cake
- 2 ½ cups All purpose flour Maida
- 3 teaspoon Baking powder ( or 1 teaspoon Baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ cups Whole milk (add additional 3 tablespoon only if required)
- 4 tablespoon Oil Coconut / Vegetable / Canola Oil - Any oil of your preference
- 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Carrot Halwa check tips
For the Sour Cream Glaze
- ½ cup Sour cream
- 1 cup Confectioner's Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Almonds sliced
Instructions
How to make the best eggless carrot halwa cake?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bread loaf baking pan and keep it aside
- In a bowl, add all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and mix.2 ½ cups All purpose flour, 3 teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ cup Sugar
- Add milk, oil, and vanilla extract and mix until everything comes together. Do not over-mix the batter.1 ½ cups Whole milk, 4 tablespoon Oil, 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Carrot Halwa
- Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until done. That is, a toothpick or knife, when inserted, comes out clean. The baking time will vary based on the depth and height of your cake pan, oven temperature, etc. Keep an eye after the 30-minute mark. If the cake starts turning brown from the top, cover it with aluminum foil or parchment paper and continue to bake.
- Allow it to cool down completely on a wire rack or pan even before you glaze the cake (atleast 2 hours).
For the sour cream glaze
- In a bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth and creamy.1 cup Confectioner's Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, ½ cup Sour cream
- Drizzle this on top of the cake and then garnish it with some sliced almonds.1 tablespoon Almonds
- The best gajar halwa cake or Indian carrot cake is ready. Serve it for Diwali or winter evening with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Notes
- The batter for carrot halwa cake should be slightly thinner than regular muffin batter. If the cake batter becomes too thin, add more flour, and if it becomes too thick, add milk.
- This carrot cake loaf recipe is eggless. You can make it vegan by substituting milk with almond milk or coconut milk.
- I have not added any nuts and dry fruits to my cake batter as I have already added them while preparing Carrot Halwa.
- If you do not have carrot halwa, add 3 cups of grated carrot, 2 tablespoon each of almonds, cashews, and raisins, ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, 3 tablespoon of ghee or melted butter in a bowl and mix. Add this along with flour to the recipe. Then, add the wet ingredients to form the batter and bake.
- You can add the carrots directly, but note that the caramelized flavor will be missing.
- Add spices like saffron, a pinch of nutmeg, and cloves to make it even more flavorful.
- Any leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you have leftover carrot halwa post Diwali or any festival or special occasion, give this gajar ka halwa cake a try.
Nutrition
Carrot halwa cake - a special festival and holiday recipe
Carrot Halwa is a delicious, melt-in-mouth Indian pudding dessert prepared using carrots, milk or condensed milk, desi ghee, cardamom powder, and dry fruits and nuts. In India, gajar ka halwa is prepared during winter months as carrots are in season. And here in the USA, many of my friends prepare carrot cake for Christmas parties and easter brunch.
I have combined my two favorite things, halwa and cake, and prepared this decadent carrot halwa cake. Gajar halwa cake is one of the best fusion desserts you can make for Diwali parties or Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
If you like this, also check out our fusion carrot burfi ice cream recipe.
Ingredients
Carrot halwa: classic Indian carrot dessert made using simple ingredients and shortcut methods.
Baking powder: helps the cake rise.
Flour: Holds everything together.
Milk: Makes the cake rich and moist
Oil: Add moisture and texture.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Indian carrot cake?
- To prepare Carrot Halwa Cake, in a large bowl, add dry ingredients, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and mix.
- Add wet ingredients - milk, oil, vanilla extract, and mix until everything comes together. Do not over-mix the batter.
- Fold in the Carrot Halwa.
- Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until done. That is, a toothpick or knife, when inserted, comes out clean.
Making of sour cream glaze
In a bowl, whisk together confectioner sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Drizzle this on top of the cake and then garnish it with some almonds, pistachios, or pecans.
Chef Tips
- The batter for carrot halwa cake should be slightly thinner than regular muffin batter. If the cake batter becomes too thin, add more flour, and if it becomes too thick, add milk.
- This carrot cake loaf recipe is eggless. You can make it vegan by substituting milk with almond milk or coconut milk.
- I have not added any nuts and dry fruits to my cake batter as I have already added them while preparing Carrot Halwa Dessert.
- If you do not have carrot halwa, add 3 cups of grated carrot, 2 tablespoon each of almonds, cashews, and raisins, ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder, 3 tablespoon of ghee or melted butter in a bowl and mix. Add this along with flour to the recipe. Then, add the wet ingredients to form the batter and bake.
- You can add the carrots directly, but note that the caramelized flavor will be missing.
- Add spices like saffron, a pinch of nutmeg, and cloves to make it even more flavorful.
- Any leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you have leftover carrot halwa post Diwali or any festival or special occasion, give this gajar ka halwa cake a try.
More quick and sweet bread recipes
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Note: We originally posted this gajar halwa cake recipe in Dec 2018 for holidays. It has now been modified in Oct 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Sofia
Hi looks super! No egg at all?
Kushi
No 🙂