Rosemary Pound Cake

Summer is finally here! It's hitting the mid thirties lately, after many long months of low teens. My recent project has been my back yard, where I have been learning how to garden. I have a little plot of land dedicated to flowers, and a few planters for fresh herbs. How amazing is it to just pop outside and grab a sprig of oregano, thyme or rosemary? Beyond words exciting.

Although I am happy that it is finally time to ditch the long sleeves, the heat has made it incredibly difficult to act like a human for us individuals without central air (cringe). It's too hot to move, and yet, I had the itch to try out another baking recipe during one of the hottest days so far. Hey, when you gotta bake, you gotta bake.

Actually, my motivation was my colleague from work who just had a beautiful baby boy! In honour of the new little Italian bundle, I decided to bake a savoury rosemary loaf (my first one!) and make some rosemary honey to boot.

I was very excited to try this Rosemary Pound Cake, because I was able to use fresh rosemary from my garden!

This Rosemary Pound Cake is courtesy of Martha Stewart's Cakes book and is a real crowd pleaser! Buttery and slightly crumby, with a fine balance of fresh rosemary, and glazed with fresh rosemary honey, this pound cake is a great addition to your afternoon tea recipes, and is a lovely gift!

As a gift, I had to figure out how to wrap the loaf and honey to meet the grandness of the occasion! Once cooled, I wrapped the loaf in plastic wrap, and then wrapped the centre with a piece of wrapping paper, and loosely tied a bow around it (be careful not to squish the bread)! If you are gifting this bread, I would suggest just lightly glazing the loaf with the rosemary honey and giving the majority of it in a nice mason jar to be used while eating. I found a cute vintage looking mason jar and tied it in a bow. The delight is in the detail! :)

Rosemary Pound Cake with Rosemary Honey

Makes two pound cakes
Requires: two 9x5 inch or 10x5 inch loaf pans

Ingredients

Pound Cake

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus extra for greasing pans)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for flouring pans)

1 cup cake flour (not self rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs, whole

1 large egg white

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

Rosemary Honey

1 cup honey

5 rosemary sprigs, about 3 inches long each*

*You can keep the rosemary on the sprig so it can be easily removed once the honey is cooled. Alternatively, you can finely chop approximately 3 tablespoons of rosemary and keep it in the honey for a stronger taste. 

Instructions

1. Make the Rosemary Honey by bringing the honey and fresh rosemary to a simmer in a small pan, and let it cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the honey from the burner to cool in the pan for approximately 45 minutes. Once cooled, remove the springs of rosemary if you want a more subtle taste. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F on the baking rack. Butter the two loaf pans and then line them with parchment paper, which should overhang the pan on both long sides by an inch. Butter the parchment and sprinkle with all purpose flour. Tap out the excess flour.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt.
4. Using an electric mixer on a medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, chopped rosemary and vanilla until pale and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes.
5. Add all of the whole eggs and the egg white one at a time, beating well after each is added. 
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients and milk in alternating turns, in two or three batches, and ending in flour. Beat until just combined.
7. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.
8. Bake the loafs and rotate halfway through until deep golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. 9x5 inch pans should take approximately 50 to 60 minutes. 10x5 inch pans should take approximately 45 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overbake.
9. Remove the cakes from the oven and brush the rosemary honey on the top of each using a pastry brush. Use approximately 3/4 cup of the honey between the two cakes. If you're gifting one of the cakes you can brush less honey on top (because it's sticky!) and put it in an air tight jar for serving instead. 
10. Once the honey has been added to the tops of the pound cakes, place the pans on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
11. Remove the pound cakes from their pans by lifting out the parchment paper using the 1 inch tabs. Let the cakes cool for another 15 minutes.
12. If eating right away, serve the cakes warm and drizzle with honey. If gifting, let the cake cool completely before wrapping with plastic wrap.

Cooled cakes can be stored at room temperature in plastic wrap for up to three days.

The Rosemary Honey can keep for approximately 1 week at room temperature in an air tight container.

Enjoy!