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Olive Oil Cake With Rosemary + Dark Chocolate

January 2013 has been quite the roller coaster ride. I started three (yes, you read that correctly) new jobs, I’m moving apartments, my website re-design launched, and I’m still trying to keep this little ol’ blog running smoothly. While I’m definitely counting my blessings, I’ve also had zero time to myself.

And so, on Tuesday, when the elections were happening in this country, and I found myself with a day off from work- I knew it was time to bake. I’ve been doing pretty well on my resolutions list – listening to episodes of This American Life and The Moth, are pretty easy- getting my finances in order is a slower process, but with the help of Ramit, I’m on my way.

I read about this recipe for olive oil cake from Kim Boyle’s Good to the Grain cookbook via Heidi awhile back. It intrigued me so much- olive oil? In a cake? As you know by now, I’m a huge fan of olive oil– I wrote my freakin senior thesis about it.

So as the gods has aligned it to be, I was set up with some time to myself to finally breathe, beautiful weather (which, by the way, totally affects my mood), and all of the right ingredients. Rosemary from my container garden, Trader Joes dark chocolate brought from my lovely boyfriend on his recent trip back home, and even artisan olive oil from a farm in the North. It was time.

I hope this cake makes you as happy as it has made me. The rosemary gives it a really nice subtle flavor, and with big chunks of quality chocolate, as well as smaller shavings- the chocolate permeates throughout the cake. Bring it to a potluck or savor it for a few days in the morning with a cup of tea. I wish you all a relaxing weekend- take some time for yourself, and if you can, try an olive oil cake to match your happy mood.

Rosemary + Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Recipe adapted from Kim Boyle’s Good to the Grain 

Dry ingredients:
3/4 cup spelt flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup olive oil (the better quality olive oil you have, the more of that flavor will come out in the cake)
3/4 cup milk (I used organic soy milk)

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped – give or take, I think a bit more next time would be lovely
5 ounceschocolate (70% cacao), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and either coat a loaf pan with olive oil or line it with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and add in the olive oil, milk and rosemary.
4. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Stir in the chocolate.
5. Pour the batter into your pan and sprinkle the top with sugar (if you like). It gives the cake a nice crunch on top.
6. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and you can insert a skewer into the center and it comes out clean.

Serves 8 -12.

Prep time: 15 min – Cook time: 50 min