Desserts Made with Olive Oil & Coconut Oil

I use extra virgin olive oil for every day savory items from simple salad dressings made with lemon juice, to easy marinades with seasonings and herbs for grilling veggies, fish, poultry and meat; and on weekends I even use olive oil instead of butter to make omelets and frittatas.  In recent years, I also discovered you can even bake sweet desserts such as, muffins, pound cake and chocolate cake using either olive oil or a new favorite healthy fat, extra virgin coconut oil instead of canola oil or butter.

Below is an updated favorite recipe for Licensee's Lemon Pound Cake (or Muffins) that I have lightened up over the years by using extra virgin coconut oil and Greek yogurt (used in place of sour cream). The coconut oil and Greek yogurt help keep the pound cake moist so you never miss the butter and sour cream that are traditionally used in most pound cake and muffin recipes. This recipe is a crowd pleaser that I often bake in the form of a fragrant lemon pound cake (topped lightly with sweetened coconut flakes instead of frosting) and serve at brunches. Pound cake and muffins freeze well so you can bake a batch, enjoy what you need and then wrap up and freeze the rest for later use. Enjoy!

Licensee's Lemon Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon 
• 1 serving size container (5.3 oz. or 6 oz.) Greek vanilla or low fat lemon yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil (or olive oil)
• Sweetened coconut flakes (small handful used for topping batter before baking)
• Fresh Mint, a few leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Lightly spray a loaf pan (or 12 muffin tins) with cooking spray and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Whisk the dry ingredients and fresh lemon zest, in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients and lemon juice. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients.
• Quickly stir together batter (but don't over mix the batter). Pour the batter into a lightly sprayed loaf pan (or into 12 muffin tins) and sprinkle top with coconut flakes.
• Bake pound cake for approximately 35-40 minutes (depending on your oven) until golden brown. Test for doneness by inserting a long wooden toothpick through the top and if it comes out clean it's done. If not, return loaf pan to oven for a few more minutes and repeat toothpick test. Note: muffins cook in less time than pound cake (approx. 25 minutes).
• Cool for at least 5 -10 minutes before removing from pan (or muffin tins).

Comments: I often serve lemon pound cake with fresh raspberries for a light refreshing summer treat. No frosting is needed with the sweetened coconut flakes sprinkled on top prior to baking. For a more decadent dessert, top raspberries on individual slices of lemon pound cake with freshly whipped cream (or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if preferred) and serve immediately. Garnish each slice with fresh mint, if desired.