Ever wonder how pound cake got its name? The classic recipe packs in a pound of butter, for starters. That’s four sticks for a recipe that fills the average Bundt pan. Dessert guru Alice Medrich has demonstrated for us you can skip the butter and use extra virgin olive oil oil instead. The result is a gorgeous cake that’s not only delectable but versatile.
I say versatile because we found you can bake this cake in a variety of pans. Alice, an award-winning cookbook author, originally baked the cake for our recent Harvest Retreat using a Bundt pan. When we baked the cake over the weekend we divided one batch into six mini-Bundt pans and a single standard-sized loaf pan. The cakes are pictured here.
It’s a very moist cake, perfumed with a hint of orange zest. Alice also uses a quarter teaspoon of freshly ground pepper to add a little heat and flavor – though the pepper is optional. “Peppers and orange are good with olive oil,” says Alice. “All of these flavors go with each other.”
Alice also notes the olive oil helps ensure the cake is moist.
When we pulled the finished cakes out we were struck by how beautiful they were.
Alice told us the cake achieves the beautiful marbling by itself, although we experimented by pulling a knife through the batter to swirl it a little. “The chocolate layer has a little bit more weight to it,” says Alice. “So when you alternate the batters in the pan the chocolate actually sinks into the cake, creating the ripple effect.”
In addition to dessert, Alice suggests trying the cake for breakfast – plain or toasted. We polished off the small ones after dinner and got to work on the loaf first thing the next morning.
Bon appétit,
Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch
