Olive Oil Pound Cake

RD Tip: Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat (a healthy fat). Per the American Dietetic Association's position paper about Functional Foods, there is some evidence that eating about 2 tbsp (or 23g) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fats. To achieve the benefit of olive oil, it should replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total amount of daily energy intake. This pound cake is a perfect example. Rather than using a 'pound' of butter (a saturated fat), this recipe substitutes the bad fat with a healthier monounsaturated fat - olive oil.

In August my friend, Kitchen M , made some olive oil pound cake and brought it into work for us all to enjoy. Like everything Em makes, it was absolutely to die for!

During my trip to Israel we visited the Golan Olive Oil Mill. The store was not much different than what you see in Napa Valley, but the owner was such an amazing salesman, that I just HAD to buy something. Although they had a bunch of foofy olive products for skin, hair, face, etc., I decided to go for good 'ol olive oil.

I bought the bottle that is in Hebrew because I thought it looked cool and that it would be a great souvenir.

Since the bottle is in Hebrew, I had to take a picture of the English one so I could translate it.

This is the Gold Label Olive Oil called Tabha. It is the first cold press Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This olive oil is unique because it is extracted without the pit. It is clear, delicate & light and an exclusive product of the "Golan Olive Oil Mill"

This olive oil was quite a pain to get home. Since I am a chronic over-packer, my suitcase was a little heavy on the flight back to the US. I made it from Ben Gurion airport to LAX alright, but I knew there was NO way they would let me travel back to SFO with such a heavy suitcase. My good friend Shelby was nice enough to keep my olive oil in LA and mail it to me. When she came to visit San Francisco last weekend I was sure to have some fresh baked olive oil pound cake for her to thank her for her kindness.

I searched online for an olive oil pound cake recipe, but couldn't find any. I remembered Kitchen M's post about her bread, so I immediately checked her blog for the recipe. Since Kitchen M didn't post the recipe on her blog, I don't think I can post it on mine either. She was nice enough to share her yummy recipe with me, and if any of you would like it, I would be more than happy to e mail it to you also.

I made the cake at home for boyfriend to try and BOYFRIEND LIKES IT! It's a miracle! I took half of the cake to work the next day and everyone there loved it also. The mixture of orange zest, olive oil, and sherry wine create a sweet, yet light citrus flavor that's so addictingly wonderful.

My mom has an annual Valentine's day party which she spends days baking for. Since I have a new found love of baking, I decided to help her this year. I made two of my olive oil pound cakes for her party and it disappeared! This recipe is absolutely a keeper!