Recipes

Hold The Butter. Olive Oil Is The Big New Thing In Baking

Posted: 12/13/2010

(NAPSI) - It may be the hottest thing in baking, and chances are you don’t even know about it.

With the USDA issuing new “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” that focus on battling obesity and related health problems, limiting saturated fats is on everyone’s mind. But what can replace butter and shortening in baked goods without sacrificing one iota of their sinfully good taste?

The answer: olive oil.

“Olive oil is a smart choice for increasing your intake of monounsaturated fat,” says Lisa A. Sheldon, MS, author of the “Olive Oil Baking” cookbook. “It also has 70 percent less saturated fat than butter.”

Understand: We’re not talking the kind of olive oil you pour on salads. Sheldon’s recipe below is made with Pompeian Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil, and the result is one very tasty, moist and lightly textured pound cake. Another plus, in general, of olive oil over butter in baking? Less is more: A recipe calling for 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of butter, say, requires only 2¼ teaspoons of Pompeian.

Cranberry Walnut

Pound Cake

Serves 12−16

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (OR) 2 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cinnamon

4 large eggs

1⅓ cups granulated sugar

½ cup Pompeian Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup low-fat sour cream

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Generously coat a Bundt pan with oil.

In a small bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a handheld mixer until light and slightly increased in volume. Add the sugar slowly while continuing to beat. The mixture will become light and fluffy. Add the olive oil and vanilla extract and beat another 2 minutes.

Alternately add the dry ingredients and the sour cream to the batter, beating between additions. Gently fold in the chopped nuts and cranberries.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake at 350° F for 60−65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then invert the pan onto rack to remove and cool completely.

For more recipes, visit www.pompeian.com.