Olive Oil Chocolate Pound Cake

I recently posted a great easy one bowl recipe for Banana Cake with Chocolate Chunks. One of the variations is to use oil. Quick breads and pound cakes --terms I use interchangeably--are often made with oil, so for flavor, it will depend on the oil.

If the focus of your quick bread (pound cake) is the oil, then, I advise you buy fresh extra virgin olive oil. If you have some olive oil on hand that you want to try, give it the sniff test. If it smells at all rancid, dump it, and buy new. There's nothing worse than spending time making a lovely Olive Oil Chocolate Pound Cake only to find that it tastes 'off'.  I found this recipe in the local paper, and I've now tried it with different olive oils and adapted it a bit, but so far I'm partial to a more robust extra-virgin olive oil for the its nutty buttery taste, but it's up to you. Experiment! 

I love to sample olive oil at the local farmers markets before I make a purchase Add to that, one of my favorite places is just down the hill --Amphora Nueva: Berkeley Olive Oil Works.  This is a fabulous specialty store focusing on Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils! The owners do produce their own olive oil, but they also feature other award winning Ultra Premium Extra Virgin olive oils. Patrons are welcome to try any and all of their oils. They post the harvest date on every oil in the shop, so you really know about the freshness. Amphora Nueva: Berkeley Olive Oil Works is located at 2928 Domingo Ave, Berkeley, CA. For the travelling foodie, it's worth a visit.

But back to the subject at hand.. Olive Oil Chocolate Pound Cake!

OLIVE OIL CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil for pan
1-1/3 cups + 1 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt  (I've tried different kinds sea salt, as well as Kosher salt)
1/2 cup unsweetened non-alkalized cocoa powder  (use the very best)
4 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp pure Madagascar vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Oil 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (or a similar size).
Sift flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder together, then sift again. Set aside.
In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat eggs on medium speed until combined. Add sugar slowly, increasing speed to medium-high, and beat until mixture increases in volume and becomes pale (2 minutes). Reduce speed to low. Add vanilla extract. With mixer running, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with olive oil in 2 additions, starting and ending with dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Stop and scrape side of bowl as needed. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean (45-55 minutes). Do not overbake.
Cool cake in pan on rack about 15 minutes. Turn cake out of pan, turn right side up and cool completely.

National Chocolate Pound Cake Day

Today is National Chocolate Pound Cake Day. I've posted various pound cake recipes such as Kay Barley's Chocolate Walnut Pound Cake on Bittersweet Chocolate Day,  and here's another of my favorite Chocolate Pound Cake recipes that I've adapted from Southern Living. I've added ground chiles for a little more kick, but you knew I'd do that.

Buttermilk-Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

8 oz chopped dark organic fair-trade chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla (Madagascar)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ancho chiles
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
* Dust with powdered sugar (optional)


1. Melt chocolate in a saucepan over a saucepan of boiling water.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, and vanilla until smooth.

3. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.

4. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack, and let cool for another hour. Garnish with powdered sugar if you feel like it.

Interested in learning more about Food Celebrations in March. Check out Months of Edible Celebrations! Louise has everything you need to know... and then some!