Enough of this idle chit-chat, let's get down to business!
A while ago I found this really interesting recipe. Bare with me now, as there is one particular ingredient that is a bit.. umm... unconventional for a cake, let's just say!
It's a Rosemary Olive Oil Cake, with chocolate chips.... and as odd as those ingredients sound, the guinee pigs.. erm I mean the "family", really liked it!
It's not too sweet and I must admit, the chocolate brought together everything really well, and really complimented the other flavours. If you're wanting to try something different, then this recipe is for you.
Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup / 3 oz / 80g spelt flour (I only used the normal type, adding this amount to the amount below)
1 1/2 cups / 7.5 oz / 210 g all-purpose flour
3/4 cup / 4 oz / 115g sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup / 240 ml olive oil
3/4 cup / 180 ml whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped (I used the dried kind, from my spice rack)
5 ounces / 140 g bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (I used regular dark chocolate, chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons sugar, for top crunch
Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Rub a 9 1/2-inch (24 cm) fluted tart pan (aka pie dish) with olive oil. Alternately, you can use a loaf pan., like I did.
You can line it with parchment paper. I just used some olive oil.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, (the recipes says to pour any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl). Set this first mix aside.
In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate. Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. My cake, in the alternate pan, took closer to 55 minutes.
Enjoy!
I've just tasted this cake and it's delicious, I was a bit unsure of how it would all come together, but it all works. This cake is moist and I took cupcakesinrome advice by going easy on the dried rosemary (2tsp) and baking for 55 minutes in a 2lb loaf tin. Thank for a brilliant post. It's a keeper. Lisa Duffy
ReplyDeleteLisa - thank you for your comment!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed this recipe! Personally, I love how the chocolate chips work with the rosemary. And as odd as that sounds, they work well together!
If you want to try a variation of this recipe, you can try substituting the rosemary with a few drops of fleur d'orange essence. Makes for a great Christmas cake!
Let me know!
Happy baking.