Cool days are cheered by orange poppy seed pound cake. This healthier pound cake uses whole wheat pastry flour, olive oil, and yoghurt. For dessert or breakfast, add ice cream or yoghurt to slices.
– 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour – ⅓ cup poppy seed – 2 teaspoons baking powder – ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt – 1 medium organic orange, to yield about 2 teaspoons zest and ¼ cup juice – 1 cup sugar – ¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt – 3 egg – ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract – ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Start with a 350-degree oven. Coat an 8 ½ x 4 ¼ x 2 ½-inch loaf pan with butter. Ina suggests lining the pan bottom with cut-to-fit parchment paper. I didn't, but the cake stuck to the bottom.
Mix flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix the sugar in a medium bowl. Grate all the orange zest (2 teaspoons).
Rub the zest into the sugar to make it orange-scented. Cut the orange in half to juice. In a liquid measuring cup, combine ¾ cup yoghurt and ¼ cup orange juice for 1 cup total liquid.
Mix yoghurt, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla with sugar. Whisk the dry ingredients until just combined after the mixture is well blended. Fold the oil with a spatula until fully incorporated.
Shiny batter. Smooth the top of the batter in the loaf pan. Bake the cake for 50–55 minutes, or until the top is golden and the sides pull away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Run a knife between the cake and the pan sides to loosen after 10 minutes of cooling. To unmold the cake, carefully turn the loaf pan upside down on a large plate. Cool the cake right-side up to room temperature.