Olive Oil and Fresh Rosemary Cake

For this next post, I finally get to use something from my garden. That's right, this guy has a garden and it's really taking off. It's nothing too large, in fact I have it on the side of my house, but it's manageable for me and loaded with great stuff that I can't wait to cook. I may expand the garden in size next year, but I digress. I snipped some sprigs from my rosemary bushes that will be used in this cake and finely chopped them. 

Rosemary and olive oil aren't two ingredients that you would normally find in a dessert, so once again I was hesitant about just how good this would actually taste. But if I have learned anything by now, it's that I should just let down my guard and put my full faith and trust in the All-Mighty Mario. 

I started by heating my oven to 325° and spraying a loaf pan with non-stick spray. 

Yeah I'm sure you know what a sprayed loaf pan looks like, but I'm really stretching for content here. This is such an easy and fast moving recipe that it'll all be over before you can finish polishing your orange kitchen clogs. 

Some eggs are beaten in the mixer for about 30 seconds and then sugar is added and mixed until very pale and foamy. 

With the mixer going, once the egg mixture is pale, the olive oil is drizzled in slowly. 

Next was to beat in some of the finely chopped rosemary, flour, baking powder, and salt. 

The cake batter goes into the loaf pan and is baked for about 45 minutes. 

It's done when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle. 

In the recipe notes, Mario states that 'this is a perfect example of what Italians really eat in the late afternoon,' and that is when I decided to have it as well. My wife, parents, and I had been rebuilding our front steps at the house and needed an afternoon break when the work was completed. I served this cake with butter and jam which paired well. Everyone seemed to like it, including me. Once again Mario, I was pleasantly surprised. Although, if I could change one thing, I would add lemon zest to this cake. I felt like lemon would make this cake perfect. 

It's not an overly sweet cake, which may not spark the interest of the American pallet, but it is a great afternoon snack or accompaniment for breakfast fare. Is it 5-star restaurant worthy? Probably not. But sometimes after a meal you don't want an overly sweet dessert either. I guess it's all a personal preference. 

The recipe notes seem a bit dated, however, because Mario notes that this is served at Babbo with either braised figs or sorbet, and I'm pretty sure that you'll still find it on the menu but with olive oil gelato, for which the recipe is thankfully included in this book. The cake batter is also baked in individual round molds for a better presentation. Check out yelp.com for pictures of it. 

Until next time...