Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

by Anna on April 27, 2010

in Breakfast,Dessert

Let’s ask “Eagle Spirit”

You know, when the Indians didn’t know what to do with some predicaments they would go to their elders for answers. They would go to “Eagle Spirit” teepee and smoke the peace pipe and ask about their problems, how to solve them. I have my own “Eagle Spirit”… Google. I use Google at least a hundred times a day, for every type of question, or doubts. To find an address, to locate the best hairdresser, to translate words, to find an image reference, to convert measurements, to find out what kind of evil bug is killing my lemon tree. And yes…Eagle Spirit will give me the answer and I don’t even need to smoke the peace pipe. If I had a tribal name it would probably be “ Sitting with a keyboard” or “ Whisking the cake”. Why I decided to talk about Google? Well it’s only fair; I have been all over the web looking for the best, most moist and delicious, olive oil cake. And I have tried a few recipes but nothing can even compare to this. This recipe is from the book “Pastries from the La Brea Bakery”. I absolutely love it, it smells delicious and taste even better. Enjoy.

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

  • 1 tablespoon of rosemary finally chopped and few springs for decoration.
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups + 2 tbsp unbleached pastry flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil (the better the olive oil, the better the cake)
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 3 large eggs

Preparation:

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat the tart or tartlet pans with olive oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl, rub together the Rosemary and sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. In a sieve, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift over the sugar. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients, then make a well in the center. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the oil, milk, and eggs, whisk to combine, then pour into the well in the dry ingredients and slowly draw in the flour mixture, whisking until incorporated. The mixture should be fairly smooth before you draw in more flour. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared molds using ½-cup measuring cup as a ladle. The molds should be three-quarters full. Place the molds on a large baking sheet, half an inch apart. Bake for 35-40 minutes until nicely browned and firm to the touch.

{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }

julia March 3, 2012 at 6:24 PM

this dessert at Mozza is my favorite dessert ever. thanks for posting!

John November 6, 2010 at 4:11 PM

Wel done, looking fantastic!. I can’t wait to try.

Millys Mini Kitchen May 2, 2010 at 2:06 PM

Wow, I’ve never heard of these. I’m gonna have to give them a try!! Lovely photography.
.-= Millys Mini Kitchen´s last blog ..gooey st. louis =-.

bunkycooks May 2, 2010 at 11:12 AM

Hi there,

I have given you an award, so please check my post http://wp.me/pSeU2-Hj Congrats!

Gwen

Anna May 1, 2010 at 6:48 PM

Hi Jenn, I first tried olive oil cake in NY at “Abraco” a very small cafe at Avenue A and first Avenue. This place is so small that two people inside is a crowd. But this girl have a talent for baking, everything I tried there was delicious. They became a hit in very short time. (That’s NY, if you are good the word spread like wild fire). So since I moved I miss that cake all the time. That’s why I started looking for recipes all over. And luckily I fond this bakery at La Brea, that have this amazing olive oil cake, so I bought her book ( Nancy Silverton) and voila…. 😀

Jenn May 1, 2010 at 6:36 AM

Hi Anna….
You’ve just confronted me with one of my baking fears: baking with olive oil!! *GASP*. I know…. seems so… “childish” is not the word I’m looking for, and neither is “strange”…. Irrational? Maybe that’s the best word. I’ve seen Olive Oil cakes around for ages, but besides making the cake, I think my fear centers around not liking it. And I don’t have food fears… I guess that’s why it’s irrational. But yours look lovely and divine… Looks like I’ll finally have to bit that bullet.
Fabuloso as usual 🙂 xoxo
.-= Jenn´s last blog ..Soup S.O.S. =-.

mickimotomama April 30, 2010 at 12:37 PM

They are fabulous looking! Bravo! Two of my favorite flavors…and cake!

Anna April 30, 2010 at 10:43 AM

Hi Sandra, This little cakes are part of the dessert menu at “Mozza”, they serve them with (gasp*) rosemary ice cream and rosemary brittle. It’s the most fantastic tasty dessert I ever had. I’m about to try to make the rosemary ice cream. I just got an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid. Wish me luck. 😉

Sommer @ A Spicy Perspective April 30, 2010 at 5:40 AM

I once found a similar recipe in Bon Appetit. They were incredible! I love your photos.

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction April 30, 2010 at 4:49 AM

These look lovely… I love the flavors!
.-= Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction´s last blog ..Chicken Tortilla Soup (Revisited) =-.

April 29, 2010 at 11:42 PM

I love olive oil, I eat it with everything. What a great rosemary olive oil cake you’re making. Sounds amazing!
.-= Linn @ Swedish home cooking´s last blog .. =-.

S April 29, 2010 at 9:06 PM

Hello, Anna! Your recipe and pictures look very delicious and interesting! Do you ever, personally, pair this with something when serving (i.e. some kind of fruit? etc.)? It looks very unique, but I wonder if you just usually eat this on its own? Thanks in advance!

sweetlife April 29, 2010 at 8:18 PM

I love savory cakes, this one look super moist.. I also use google about hmm 1,000 times a day especailly to help me translate spanish homework..cute post

sweetlife
.-= sweetlife´s last blog ..Fiesta!! Fiesta!! =-.

penny aka jeroxie April 29, 2010 at 7:38 PM

Thank you. I will be making these!
.-= penny aka jeroxie´s last blog ..Meatless Day #18 Chestnut soup =-.

citronetvanille April 29, 2010 at 1:37 PM

Very interesting combination of olive oil, rosemary in a sweet cake! I love rosemary and I can see it would be so fragrant in this type of composition! that is a great idea!
.-= citronetvanille´s last blog ..Tart for those who don’t like desserts – Tart-brioche with coconut, fromage blanc and pineapple =-.

sarah April 29, 2010 at 1:04 PM

Beautiful pictures! I love olive oil cake and this one looks perfect!
.-= sarah´s last blog ..Knock, Knock, Knock? =-.

Divina April 28, 2010 at 10:52 PM

These are very pretty, flavorful and very aromatic cake. I bet they are also moist. Beautiful pictures Anna.

Lori April 28, 2010 at 12:24 PM

I’ve never had olive oil cake, although I have had cookies with rosemary. It looks beautiful! Google is my friend as well. The second after a question pops in my head I’m typing it in to find out the answer. At this point I have no idea what I would do without it. I would certainly be much less informed. 🙂

Cookin' Canuck April 28, 2010 at 11:43 AM

Your photos are gorgeous! This cake looks so moist and I really like the flavor of the rosemary infused into it.

Marly April 28, 2010 at 11:17 AM

What an interesting combination. The pics sure look good!

5 Star Foodie April 28, 2010 at 10:35 AM

Oh, these cakes seriously look good! I love the infusion of rosemary!
.-= 5 Star Foodie´s last blog ..Basque-Style Grilled Cheese with Etorki, Piquillo Peppers, and Chorizo =-.

Anna April 28, 2010 at 9:28 AM

Wow, that would be an honor for me, without say I would try all the deliciousness coming out of your kitchen. SWEEEEET. 😀

Patty Price April 28, 2010 at 8:28 AM

Your little cakes remind me of the French cookies, financiers, sort of a combination cake and cookie, they look wonderful and are beautifully photographed!

Erica April 28, 2010 at 7:54 AM

I am a fan of your savory cakes!!! I made one already…..This one is going on my to do list 🙂 Your pictures are amazing, Anna! If I publish a book one day you are going to take my pictures 😉

Stella April 28, 2010 at 5:49 AM

Good Morning Anna, I love your opening paragraph. I’m sure quite a few can relate to it…
This cake sounds so rustic, and I love that it seems sweet and also a bit savory. I make olive oil cakes all the time, so I know it was most likely delicious. I’m copying this one to my files.

MaryMoh April 28, 2010 at 5:41 AM

Wow…beautiful pictures. These little cakes look so pretty and delicious…best of all..with olive oil. Thanks for sharing.
.-= MaryMoh´s last blog ..Beautiful Mt Kinabalu – Malaysia =-.

Patricia Scarpin April 28, 2010 at 5:35 AM

Anna, I have never tried herbs in sweet baked goods and you’re inspiring me to do so – these cakes are beautiful! I bet they are really moist.

Roti n Rice April 28, 2010 at 5:21 AM

What a unique cake….infused with rosemary! Must be delicious.
.-= Roti n Rice´s last blog ..Zucchini Loaf =-.

Eglė April 27, 2010 at 11:46 PM

Wow! Looks stunning and so tempting. I bet it was delicious 😉
.-= Eglė´s last blog ..Airiškas jautienos troškinys =-.

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