Description
Fragrant rosemary infuses delicate lemon rosemary olive oil cake with Mediterranean charm. Mediterranean ingredients blend elegantly, creating a delightful dessert you’ll savor with each memorable slice.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps (30 mL) milk
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1.5 tbsps fresh rosemary, chopped
- 0.5 tbsp fresh rosemary, not chopped
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 0.25 tsp baking soda
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240 mL) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 0.5 cup powdered sugar
- 0.75 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 oz (198 g) mascarpone cheese, drained and cold
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Warm the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan with olive oil or butter.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl, ensuring a uniform dry mixture.
- Wet Mixture Transformation: Whip sugar, eggs, and lemon zest in an electric mixer until the combination becomes a voluminous, pale cream with an airy consistency, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Aromatic Incorporation: Blend finely chopped rosemary into the egg mixture, then gradually stream olive oil while mixing on high speed until fully integrated.
- Batter Composition: Delicately fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture, alternating with milk and lemon juice, minimizing stirring to preserve the batter’s delicate structure.
- Pan Preparation and Garnishing: Pour the silky batter into the prepared pan, gently sprinkling whole rosemary leaves across the surface.
- Baking and Monitoring: Bake for 30-35 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should emerge with minimal crumbs.
- Cooling Process: Let the cake rest in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and allow complete cooling.
- Mascarpone Cream Finale: Whip cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, then fold in mascarpone until stiff peaks develop.
- Serving Presentation: Dust the cake with powdered sugar and optionally crown with mascarpone cream or drizzle with lemon icing.
Notes
- Rosemary Selection: Choose fresh, vibrant rosemary sprigs for maximum aromatic intensity and flavor depth in the cake.
- Zesting Technique: Use a microplane grater to extract only the bright yellow outer layer of lemon skin, avoiding bitter white pith.
- Mixing Precision: Avoid overmixing batter to preserve the cake’s delicate, tender crumb and prevent a dense, tough texture.
- Temperature Sensitivity: Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for smoother blending and more consistent baking results.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg