This subtle yet flavorful pound cake from renowned Berkeley dessert chef Alice Medrich gets its depth from robust olive oil, orange zest and a whole cup of sherry. Medrich recommends using unbleached flour, and she sometimes substitutes 80 grams, or about 1/3 cup, of unbleached pastry flour for a velvety texture.

You can use a 10-to-12 cup tube or Bundt pan or two 5-to-6 cup loaf pans to bake this cake, which Medrich says improves in flavor over two or three days. She likes toasting a slice for breakfast, even up to a week after baking.

Sherry and Olive Oil Pound Cake

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup robust extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons grated orange zest (from 1 medium orange)

5 cold eggs

1 cup medium (amontillado) sherry, divided use

Directions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour pans or line the loaf pans with parchment.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly, then sift the mixture onto a piece of wax paper. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl (fitted with the whisk attachment if you have a choice), beat the sugar, oil and orange zest until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stop the mixer and add one-third of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended. Stop the mixer and add half the sherry. Beat just until blended. Repeat with another third of the flour, followed by the remaining sherry, and then the remaining flour.

Scrape the batter into the pan(s). Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes for either the tube pan or the loaves. Cool the cake in the pan(s) on a rack for about 15 minutes. Slide a skewer around the tube then slide a thin knife around the sides of the pan(s) to release the cake. Invert the pans, then invert again, setting the cake right side up on a rack to cool completely.

— From “Pure Dessert” (Artisan, 2007) by Alice Medrich