A Muse in My Kitchen
Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
I like trying new recipes. I like trying recipes with a twist of flavor. I like trying recipes that seem a bit odd.
I have to make them for myself to see what I missing.
This is one of those recipes.
We were having friends over for dessert last night and my original thought was to have strawberry shortcake since the strawberries are so lush this time of year.
Then I started pouring through my cookbooks for pound cake recipes and came across this recipe from Mario Batali’s The Babbo Cookbook.
I’ve heard of olive oil pound cake before – but with rosemary?
My curiosity was aroused!
Start with fresh rosemary sprigs and chop them very fine until you have about 2 tablespoons.
Combine eggs, sugar and olive oil in a stand mixer.
Fold in chopped rosemary with a spatula and add flour, baking soda and kosher salt.
Mix. Pour in a loaf pan. Bake.
Very simple.
What you get is moist pound cake with the subtle tones of olive oil and rosemary in your mouth.
What really makes this pop is adding macerated berries with lemon zest on top.
It’s woodsy, artisan, complex and delicious!
Drizzle with fresh lightly whipped cream and you have a party in your palette!
Must try!
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbs. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbs. baking powder
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 325⁰F.
- Spray a 10-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to beat the eggs for 30 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is very foamy and pale in color.
- With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
- Using a spatula, gently stir the rosemary into the batter.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even color.
- The cake is done when it is golden brown, springs back when touched, and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool briefly in the pan, then tip out onto a cake rack to continue cooling.
