Olive Oil Carrot Cake

A delicious carrot cake filled with plump raisins and pineapple and made with extra virgin olive oil makes this cake so moist and tender. Plus, it's topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel that is sure to have you coming back for seconds!

My grandma is one of my favorite people in the whole world. I have so many fond memories with her, many of them in the kitchen. Carrot cake is so nostalgic for me because it's the first dessert she taught me how to make. I remember being so excited to help her in the kitchen grating the carrots, and measuring out the oil trying to make sure it was exactly at the line of the measuring cup.

This is my grandma's carrot cake recipe and naturally I'm a bit biased, but it truly is one of my favorites! I've made a few tweaks from the original recipe which I hope you will enjoy if you decide to make it too! It's not your traditional carrot cake as we're doing away with some of those spicy notes typically found in carrot cake in favor of the nuttiness from some extra virgin olive oil. Additionally, we're nixing the cream cheese frosting (i know, gasp*!), and replacing it with a delicious and crunchy cinnamon streusel instead! That thick layer of crunchy streusel atop of this moist carrot cake is SO good, you will definitely not be missing the cream cheese frosting one bit.

Below are photos of the batter poured into an 8x11 baking dish prior to baking, as well as the baked cake topped with streusel and dusted with a little bit of confectioners sugar once out of the oven and cooled for about 10 minutes.

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Bake Time: 40-45 minutes

Total Time: 90 minutes

Yield: Makes 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Cake:

• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup raisinsww

• 1 cup grated carrots

• 3/4 cup chopped pineapple chunks, drained (I use canned pineapple chunks and chop them up further into smaller pieces;you can also use crushed pineapple if preferred)

• Dusting of confectioner's sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, make the streusel topping by combining the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter using a fork, then add the flour. Mix until crumbly looking and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F for standard oven.

3. In a medium bowl, combine together the flour, salt, and baking soda and cinnamon.

4. In a separate large bowl, combine the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Using a whisk, combine until thoroughly mixed for about a minute or so.

5. Add the flour mixture gradually into the bowl whisking until just combined and there are no flour streaks. Be careful not to over-mix.

6. Add the raisins, pineapple, and carrots to the batter, and gently fold them in with a spatula until it is evenly distributed. Again, be sure not to over-mix.

7. Pour the batter into a 8x11 baking dish and spread evenly.

8. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter to completely cover the batter.

9. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Dust confectioners sugar atop if desired.

10. Enjoy!