Olive Oil Carrot Cake

Olive Oil Carrot Cake

Serves 8-10

Wet ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mild olive oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely grated carrots, lightly packed (~4-5 medium carrots)
  

Dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Spice blend: 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, optional: 1/4 tsp cardamom

Instructions:

1. Preheat & prep: preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the wet ingredients: whisk the olive oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, eggs, grated carrots, and vanilla until well combined.
3. Mix the dry ingredients: in a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Combine: fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
5. Bake: transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for approximately 40–50 minutes, checking around 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil.
6. Cool & enjoy: let it cool completely before frosting (if adding!) or slicing. This cake is delicate while warm, so let it set before removing it from the pan.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (optional): 

• 4 tbsp salted butter, browned
• 6oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4-1 cup powdered sugar (or sub 1/4 cup maple syrup)
• Optional: pecans or walnuts for topping

1. Brown the butter: in a small pan on low heat, add your butter to brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat once brown and set aside to cool.
2. Whip the frosting: add the cream cheese and vanilla to a bowl and whip using a stand or handheld mixer. Slowly add in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until you reach desired sweetness. On low speed, slowly add in the browned butter until combined.

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Recipe Created By: Lindsey Walden