Sunday Feast № 18 | Rosemary and Chocolate in a Cake

In winter, rosemary is milder, and in Midwest spring fights with winter, trying to assert itself before summer assuredly stomps on it. So it stands to reason that since late April is more like a mild winter, or a cool spring at best, rosemary is less pungent and robust right now. Having said that, I never thought of rosemary in a sweet cake or with chocolate, as a singularly savory bake makes more sense to me for a herb I love on anything roasted. Then I came across an image from 101 Cookbooks of a rosemary olive oil cake from "Good to the Grain" by  Kim Boyce and wondered "How would this taste?" I got to work, but I wouldn't be me without attempting some short cuts. First time.
Local supermarket had 2-for-1 bags of bittersweet chocolate chips and fresh rosemary pack was generous, so I had the goods for multiple attempts. The first time, I used the chips as-is. All good, but since rosemary was such an odd taste for me in a cake, I figured that coarsely chopping the chips as the recipe suggested would work better to mix the two flavors of rosemary and chocolate in each bite. Second time, I did just that. The recipe called for 9½-in fluted tart pan, which worked just fine despite the cake rising slightly just above the rim, but next time I chose 9½-in round spring form with higher sides so I did not have to worry even about that as both times 40 min bake was all I needed for a good bake. I have to admit that chopping the chips and refrigerating the cake before eating worked a charm. The beauty of oil is that it does not solidify like butter when chilled, but keeps the cake nicely moist. The consistency was much better than at room temperature, and I suppose like stews cakes tend to be better next days. Patience does pay off. It is also possible that having rosemary in a cake with chocolate shavings grew on me, and that the addition of rosemary made this cake fair game for breakfast or lunch and thus more frequent exposure to this new mix. Breakfast or lunch?! The cake was somewhat savory after all, non? Not that cake being nothing but sweet has ever stopped me from having it for breakfast or lunch ...