Maple Syrup Cardamom Olive Oil Pound Cake
A pleasingly dense olive oil pound cake flavored with maple syrup and cardamom.
Servings 1 loaf pan-sized cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- scant 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups white flour
- zest of one lemon, divided
- 1-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cardamom (see Kitchen Notes)
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup light olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and oil an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan (See Kitchen Notes).
- Pour the maple syrup into a medium bowl, then add the Greek yogurt and sugar and whisk together until smoothly blended. Add the 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing well, then add the vanilla and stir again.
- Sift the flour and then measure it into another bowl. Add the baking powder, coriander, 2/3 of the lemon zest, the ginger and salt, and stir lightly.
- Gradually add the maple syrup into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Finally, pour in the olive oil and mix well. The batter will be beautifully shiny.
- Pour into the loaf pan and place in the center of the oven. Bake about 50 minutes or until a thin blade inserted near the center comes out clean. By the way, the outside of the loaf will be a beautiful, unusual orange color. I did not expect that at all—the batter is a fairly conventional beige.
- Place the pan on a rack to cool and run a thin blade around the inside between the loaf and the wall of the pan. When the loaf has cooled (and you can do this when it is still slightly warm), tip it out of the pan.
Kitchen Notes
Loafer. I used a glass loaf pan because I like the slightly crustier exterior. A metal pan will give you a thinner, lighter outside.
Yes, you may use a slightly larger 9 x 5-inch pan if that is what you have. Expect the cake to come up faster—test it sooner. Whatever you use, be sure to oil it well so the loaf won’t stick. If you are not confident that your pan will release the cake, then it is a good idea to line the pan with parchment paper or waxed paper, with a nice length hanging out to make a handle for you to lift out the cake.
Grinder. I grind cardamom in an old coffee grinder that we keep around for milling spices, then pass it through a sieve and then measure it. That way I’m sure it is very fresh and fragrant.