This Gajar ka Halwa Cake is like the Indian version of carrot cake. It’s made with ghee, pistachios, cashews, golden raisins, and plenty of freshly ground cardamom. It’s also low in sugar – there are only 2 tablespoons of raw honey in the whole cake! My carrot cake is based on the famous north Indian dessert, gajar ka halwa (carrot fudge).
Gajar ka Halwa is also known as gajrela (see my recipe here), and it’s one of my dad’s favorite desserts. Today is my dad’s birthday, and so I came up with this cake recipe for him 🙂 I made this cake earlier in the week, and it turned out amazingly. I’m going to bake this same cake later today so we can enjoy it tonight!
Happy Birthday to the most amazing Dad (Paul Singh)!! Thank you for always looking after me and for always being by my side.
You went from helping me with my homework to now helping me with my taxes. Even at my age (20-ish), you’re still looking after me – paying bills that I don’t know about (what’s property tax?), taking care of those annoying camera speeding tickets that I (cough Roby cough) seem to get so often, and guiding me in the right direction when it comes to major life decisions. I’m always calling to ask for your advice because my dad knows everything!
You’ll always be my hero, and it looks like I’ll always be your little girl, and I’m so thankful for that Love you, Daddy!
If you like carrot cake and cardamom, you’ll love this cake. The ghee adds a rich buttery flavor, and the carrots, raisins, and raw honey add sweetness. I love the cashews and pistachios in the cake – they soften in the oven and provide a unique texture to the dessert. The main reason I love this cake? Because I know my dad will absolutely love it! And I hope you will too!
Gajar ka Halwa Cake (Indian Carrot Cake)
Gajar ka Halwa Cake (Indian Carrot Cake)
Ingredients
- 4 cups carrots grated
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup cashews roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios roughly chopped
- 5 tablespoons melted ghee
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 3 eggs whisked
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- coconut butter or frosting optional for glaze
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Add carrots, raisins, cashews, pistachios and ghee into a bowl. Mix well.
- In another bowl, add almond flour, baking soda and cardamom and stir until well combined.
- Add the carrot mixture to the bowl and combine well - then mix in the honey and eggs.
- Pour into a 9-inch springform pan and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Optional coconut drizzle: warm coconut butter and drizzle. Mix in some coconut oil if the butter is too thick.
Siobhan says
Could you give some more images or description for texture/consistency please of the mixture – mine was far too dry it wasn’t a purable liquid and I had to add more ghee
Judy says
Any suggestions to make this nut free 🙂
Use all purpose flour instead of almond flour ?
Mariana says
Hi! Could I make this cake in two 6 inch tins? I’m planning to make it as a tall cake for a birthday with cream cheese frosting. Would his recipe suitable for that?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Mariana, yes, I’ve actually done that before (but with a cardamom whipped cream filling), so I know it works 🙂 You can keep the bake time the same. You may want to level the cakes before stacking them together. Let me know what you think!