Olive Oil Carrot Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

This Olive Oil Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting is one of the easiest cakes to make and has been a favorite within my circle. This was adapted from my mom's recipe and had been made for birthdays, work events, the holidays, special occasions, and it's a delicious cake that people will surely talk about. 

For more cake recipes, check out this Earl Grey Basque Cheesecake, this Raspberry Calfoutis, and this Pear Clafoutis! If you want a fall version of this carrot cake, check out this Pumpkin Carrot Cake!

Save This Recipe! 💌

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

I agree to be sent emails

I love desserts that aren't too sweet, just like this Earl Grey Raspberry Clafoutis. This cake is moist from the olive oil, carrots, and the pineapple while the pecans give some texture. The maple cream cheese frosting is tart with the orange zest and juice, complementing the cake perfectly.

Cake Ingredients

Olive Oil Carrot Cake Ingredients

• All purpose flour: we use 2 ½ cups of sifted all purpose flour, but if you want to make this a gluten free you can substitute with almond flour which works well.
• Extra virgin olive oil: oil is essential in a carrot cake to add moisture and we use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe for a healthier option.
• Crushed pineapple: this is the not so secret ingredient. You can find canned crushed pineapple in the grocery store. Just make sure that before adding it to the batter that it's drained and packed into that measuring cup.
• Carrots: peel the carrots and grate them using a grater or a food processor with its grater disc for a faster option. 
• Pecans: we chop 1 cup of pecans but if you prefer walnuts that would work perfectly as well.
• Cinnamon: we only use one spice here to achieve the warm flavor of this cake, and honestly, it's enough!

*See full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• Cream cheese: make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature before making the frosting so that it whips easily.
• Butter: same thing for the butter, make sure it's at room temperature.
• Maple syrup: we use maple to sweeten the frosting. Another option would be to use powdered sugar if you don't have maple syrup.
• Orange: adding the zest of 1 orange zest and 1 tablespoon of orange juice will add more depth to the frosting flavor and make it a tangy cream cheese frosting. 
• Heavy cream: we fold ½ cup of whipped heavy cream into the frosting for added lightness.

*See full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card.

How to Make This Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease with butter and flour you 9 inch pan, then line with parchment paper. Take the out the cream cheese and butter out of the fridge if you haven't already!
   

2. Sift all dry ingredients and add to a large mixing bowl. Then add your wet ingredients: add one egg and mix the cake batter, then do the same for the 2 other eggs. Add in the oil, the grated carrots, pineapple, and pecans and mix until well combined.

3. Pour batter into the 9 inch pan and bake for 40 minutes. Use a cake tester to check if it's done. If the batter on the pick is still wet, bake for another 5 minutes more. 

4. Remove the cake from the oven, loosen the sides of the cake with an offset spatula and invert to a cooling rack. The cake might still be warm at this point so make sure it's completely cooled before adding the frosting.

5. While the cake is cooling, make the frosting: add cream cheese (room temperature) to a medium mixing bowl and with a hand mixer, whisk the cream cheese on medium speed then add the butter. Both these ingredients should be at room temperature. Add the maple syrup, the orange juice and orange zest. Set aside. It will appear to be more liquid than you'd want it to be, but it will harden once it's refrigerated.

6. In a separate bowl, add the heavy cream and whip until it's stiff peaks.

7. Then Fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese frosting mixture. Place in the refrigerator until the cake is at room temperature and is ready to be frosted.

8. One the cake is completely cooled, spread the frosting on the top and sides using an offset spatula.

9. If you have extra pecans and grated carrots, you can use them to decorate the cake.

How to Store This Carrot Cake

• Store in the refrigerator, the cake will keep for about a week.
• If you want to make the cake in advance and frost them the next day, make sure the cake is completely cooled, place back into the cake pan and wrap with plastic wrap before placing it in the fridge. This will help the cake retain its moisture. Make the frosting and store in the fridge in an airtight container.