I made up this recipe to satisfy a serious maple craving I had a couple weeks back. The cake is extremely moist; unless eating it just out of the oven, toast your slice to get some contrast between the crust and innards. I've made this cake three weeks in a row, and used the office toaster to make my perfect 3 pm snack. One tip: really make sure to pull the cake out of the oven right when it's done. If it stays in longer, it'll dry out a bit. - Rivka (less) —Rivka
This pound cake drops the pounds of butter and sugar in favor of oil and maple syrup, creating a springy texture and glistening, shellacked exterior. The oil folded into the batter at the end was a technique new to us, but we think we can hold it responsible for the cake's sweet, crackly crust. Rivka's choice of Grade B maple syrup means that the maple aroma and flavor is pervasive without being cloying. The end result is moist and flavorful enough on its own, but fresh whipped cream and strawberries never hurt. - A&M (less) —The Editors
Serves: 1 cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 hrs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
- 3/4 cup yogurt, preferably not nonfat
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup oil
Directions
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter 8 1/2×4 1/2×2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan.
- Combine syrup, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Stir or whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir to incorporate. Add oil, and fold gradually until oil absorbs into the batter.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place pan on baking sheet in oven and bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack. Turn cake upright on rack and cool completely.
