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5 from 56 votes

Brigadeiro Cake Recipe

Brigadeiro cake is the quintessential Brazilian birthday cake, and if you ask any Brazilian, we'll say this is the one chocolate cake to rule them all! This Brigadeiro cake recipe makes three layers of moist, tender crumb, super chocolaty cake and a smooth, ooey-gooey fudgy brigadeiro frosting and filling. The best part is you can decorate it with ALL. THE. SPRINKLES!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Filling & Frosting Cooling Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Brazilian
Keyword: birthday, brunch, cake, holiday, party
Servings: 1 8-inch, three layer cake
Author: Aline Shaw

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1.5 cups whole milk

For the Brigadeiro Filling & Frosting:

  • 2x 14oz cans of sweet condensed milk
  • 1x 7.6oz can of table cream "drained" / sem soro (see draining instructions in post)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1.5 cups chocolate powder, such as nescau or nesquick
  • 1 tbsp margarine

For Decoration:

  • 3 cups sprinkles

Instructions

Start with the Brigadeiro Filling & Frosting:

  • Please note the post above contains detailed information and reference photos to help with this step, if needed.
  • In a medium sauce pan, combine the milk, the chocolate powder and the corn starch and whisk to combine.
  • Next, add the "drained" table cream (fatty cream only), both cans of condensed milk, the margarine, and stir to combine (make sure you have at least 2 inches of free space on top of the pan to allow the mixture to expand as it boils, without boiling over).
  • Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring continuously with a silicone spatula, and scraping the sides of the pan, until the mixture reaches a thick pudding-like consistency, or when it reaches 205-220F (about 12-15 minutes).
  • Pour the hot brigadeiro into a heat safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap to contact, where the wrap is touching (is in contact with) the brigadeiro and let it cool on the counter for about an hour or two - until it's cool enough to touch.
  • When the brigadeiro is cool enough, place the bowl in the refrigerator until the mixture is completely cold, about two hours.*

Make the Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Spray, or grease and flour all 3 cake pans, line with parchment paper, spray/grease again and set aside.
  • In a medium size mixing bowl, add the sifted all purpose flour, the cocoa powder, the baking powder, the baking soda and the salt and whisk to combine – set aside.
  • Mix the oil, the butter and the sugar in a large bowl, using a hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) until combined and creamy – about 2 minutes.
  • Next, add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium speed until combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl between each addition.
  • Then, on low speed, add the cocoa/flour mixture to the egg-oil mixture in three parts, alternating adding the milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk) until your batter is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition.
  • Pour equal amounts of the batter into the greased pans, and bake until a cake tester/toothpick inserted to the middle comes out lightly crumbly (about 30-35 mins).
  • Move the cake pans to a cooling rack and let it cool for about 5-10 mins, then remove the cakes from the pans and let it cool on the rack.**

Assembly:

  • Spread a little bit of the brigadeiro onto a cake board or directly onto the plate where you'll serve your cake.
  • Then, place your first cake layer flat side up.
  • Scoop about 1 cup of filling onto the cake layer, and evenly spread the filling on the cake layer.
  • Place second cake layer on top flat side up, and spread another cup of brigadeiro filing over the second layer.
  • Place the third cake layer, again flat side up, and evenly spread the remaining brigadeiro filling along the sides and top of the cake.
  • Decorate with sprinkles!

Bom Apetite!

    Notes

    *The brigadeiro can be made ahead of time. Make sure to cover with plastic wrap to contact, where the wrap is touching (is in contact with) the brigadeiro, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. 
     
    **The cake layers can be made ahead of time. Make sure the cakes are completely cooled, then, wrap them neatly with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. To decorate, make sure to defrost the cakes completely until they reach room temperature – about an hour.