Olive Oil Pound Cake

["Recipe credit:\u00a0Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts (Artisan Books, 2012)<\/a>, by\u00a0 Alice Medrich<\/a>.\u00a0Photograph by Sang An\n<\/em>","Recipe credit:\u00a0

Ingredients

3 cups (13.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups (14 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flavorful California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cold large eggs
1 cup whole milk

Equipment

10- to 12-cup tube or Bundt pan or two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans
Electric mixer

Instructions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour the pan(s), or line the bottom and sides of the loaf pans with parchment paper.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside. Using the electric mixer, beat the sugar, salt, oil, and vanilla in a large clean, dry bowl until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat at low speed just until blended. Add half of the milk and beat just until blended. Repeat with another third of the flour, the remaining milk, and then the remaining flour.
Scrape the batter into the pan(s). Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan(s) on a rack for about 15 minutes.

Tip: Lining loaf pans with parchment paper eliminates the need for greasing and prevents the bottoms and sides of the loaves from overbrowning.