rosemary olive oil cake

i can't believe i haven't told you about this cake sooner. i've made it three or four times already. always last minute, a little bit slapdash, thrown together to bring to a dinner party, to feed to unexpected guests or to pass around a bonfire, with nary a spare moment and decent lighting in which to take a serviceable photo.
a shame, because it's one of the more cleverly subtle desserts i know of. it comes from kim boyce, whose sweet potato date muffins have also made repeat appearances in my kitchen. here, what looks fairly straightforward from the outside is anything but. olive oil adds a hauntingly floral note, rosemary lends an almost savory herbal element, and chocolate provides richness in what would otherwise be a barely sweetened cake. texturally, the addition of spelt flour yields a sturdier crumb than your typical every day cake, but the final sprinkling of turbinado sugar along the top makes for a pleasingly crunchy golden crust to make it very clear that you are, in fact, eating something special.

this is the kind of recipe that's wonderful to have in your arsenal of easily assembled but very memorable desserts. you will make this again and again, i promise. also, i used muffin tins because the cakes were going to be sold individually, but i've baked it in a 9" fluted tart pan, a 9" glass pie plate and an 8" cake pan with equal success. i've also seen it done in a loaf pan, so feel free to experiment with shapes (and adjust baking time accordingly).

rosemary, olive oil & dark chocolate cake
adapted from kim boyce's good to the grain
makes a dozen mini cakes or one large cake to serve 8

• olive oil for the pan
• 3/4 cup (80g) spelt flour
• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (115g) sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 tbsps fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 5 oz (140g) bittersweet chocolate*, chopped into 1/2" pieces
• 2 tbsps coarse sugar for sprinkling

*kim recommends 70% cacao, i use my standard ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chip and it worked like a dream

preheat oven to 350°F. rub a 9" cake pan with olive oil (see note about pan alternatives, above). in a large bowl, sift together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. set aside.

in a medium bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly. add olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk well to combine. pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and mix gently until just combined. fold in chocolate. pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. sprinkle with coarse or turbinado sugar and bake for about 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean. cool before slicing. serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, if you like.