CLEMENTINE AND OLIVE OIL POUND CAKE RECIPE

My older son needed a snack between events on Thursday, so we pulled in Panera Bread and he got an orange scone. ( What's one more circle in an afternoon of driving around town?) 

He then spent Friday and Saturday morning telling me that he really wanted another orange scone.  We didn't have oranges, but I did have a few clementines that were getting mushy on the counter.  And a younger son in need of an activity.  So they all became the the inspiration for this moist pound cake.  The whole thing smelled delicious!  I held my maternal ground and didn't add a sugar glaze like the scone at Panera, but I'm sure that would be great as well.

CLEMENTINE AND OLIVE OIL CAKE RECIPE

(Adapted from a recipe in Cafe Fernando food blog)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1+1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp clementine zest*
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup clementine juice*  (my younger son was in charge of juicing---clementines were perfect size for his hands)

* Depending on size, 4-5 clementines would be enough for the zest and juice.
We didn't have enough clementines, so I added in the zest of one lemon, and some Grand Marnier. Perfect for the kids, no? 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour one 12 x 4 inch loaf pan.
2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and clementine zest; really mush together to extract the fragrant oil from the zest.
4. Add olive oil and mix on high speed until completely combined.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix on slow speed.
7. Add half of the clementine juice and continue mixing.
8. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the rest of the clementine juice and the remaining flour mixture and beat until combined between each addition.
9. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
10. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Remove the cake from the oven, wait 10 minutes for it to cool down and then remove from the pan.