ROSEMARY'S CAKE

Who is Rosemary? Well actually she is no one, it just eludes to the fact that this is a cake flavored

with fresh rosemary leaves. See what I did there! Herbs in cakes and desserts have become increasing popular over the years and after I dabbled in a lemon and thyme loaf last year I decided to try and give rosemary a shot in a bake. Well, let me tell you this for certain, it definitely works especially in the rosemary sugar crust sprinkled on top of the cake. Don't be scared people and embrace the herby bakes!

This is a Nigella Lawson recipe which I've amended slightly so I won't talk about how you can change it. All you need to know is that your cake will make around 10-12 slices and will keep for around 3 days in a cake tin stored in a dry, cool place. Ready, Set, Bake! 

Rosemary Cake

250g Softened Butter

200g Golden Caster Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

210g Self Raising Flour

90g Plain Flour

Finely Chopped Leaves Of 3 Rosemary Stalks

4 Tbsp Milk

2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar

1. Begin by popping your oven on to 180 degrees (160 fan) whilst greasing and lining a 22cm cake tin with grease proof paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy before adding in the eggs one at a time, beat thoroughly after each addition until well combined. Stir through the vanilla extract.
3. In a second bowl, mix together the two flours with 2/3 of the chopped rosemary until combined. Slowly add the rosemary flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients, folding though the flour until you see no streaks of it in the batter.
4. Add in the milk and gently mix into the batter until combined and then transfer the batter into your cake tin. Sprinkle the granulated sugar and the remaining rosemary on top of the batter and then place into the oven to bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven once it is baked and leave to cool slightly before transferring the cake to a wire rack to cool completely. Once you are ready to serve then slice your cake into big chunky slices, get a big pot of tea on the go and get stuck in. What you have here is a beautiful vanilla sponge with that herby hit of rosemary running right through it. That rosemary sugar sprinkled on top is the star of the show though and it gives the top of the cake a gorgeous sweet crust that is a joy to bite through. Give Rosemary's cake a try this weekend, it is the perfect bake to convert people to herby bakes.