Olive Oil Cake

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It’s amazing to me how much the simple substitution of olive oil for butter turns a pound cake I remember from my childhood, accompanied by a glass of milk, into an instant journey to Italy. Unbelievably moist with an intriguing sweetness, this cake has been on the menu of il Buco since the beginning. What I love about it, besides how well it showcases olive oil’s versatility, is that olive oil is liquid at room temperature, so the cake remains moist much longer and, in fact, is sometimes even better the day after you bake it . . . if you can keep yourself from finishing it immediately out of the oven. Numerous simple toppings give it an extra flourish, but my favorite would be a handful of summer berries and a dollop of unsweetened cream or mascarpone.

Serves 6 to 8

1¾ cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

5 large egg yolks

Zest of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to grease pan

¾ cup cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1¼ cups buttermilk

½ cup whole milk

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest, and salt at high speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder until incorporated. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk and milk.

4. With the mixer on medium speed, alternate adding the milk and dry mixtures to the egg mixture—starting with the liquids—in two installments of each. Mix until a smooth batter forms.

5. Grease a large loaf pan with olive oil and pour in the batter in an even layer.

6. Bake in the center of the oven, rotating halfway through, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

“I’ve been going to il Buco for over 20 years, and almost every meeting I’ve had has been at those tables. But I love most my time alone at Alimentari in the mornings with the papers and my coffee.”

—GABRIEL BYRNE