I knew you were coming, so I baked you a cake.
Dress the table with pretty linens in summer petrol blues and warms golds. Fill the vase with colourful flowers and get out the best china you are serving a very special cake to very special guests. Our Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar Cake is sweet with herby notes of rosemary, the bitterness of balsamic vinegar and the comfort of rich creamy frosting. Well worth the effort for the ones you love.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
½ cup fine yellow cornmeal
½ cup plain flour
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups icing sugar, plus more for dusting
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
½ cup plain yoghurt
For the Balsamic Syrup:
½ cup sugar
½ cup balsamic vinegar
½ small sprig fresh rosemary
For the icing:
½ cup butter
½ cup cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup icing sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
For the cake:
Butter and flour an 20cm round cake pan. You can double the recipe for a 2 layer cake as shown in the photo.
In a medium bowl, mix the cornmeal, plain flour, minced rosemary, baking powder, and salt.
Using a stand mixer or food processor beat the butter until light and fluffy then slowly add the icing sugar. Once the sugar is incorporated increase the speed to high and beat, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce the speed to medium and add the yoghurt and the vanilla. On low speed add the dry ingredients just until completely blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in the lower third of the oven until the cake is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool. Transfer the cake from the pan to a serving plate and ice
For the Balsamic Syrup:
Place the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig and let the syrup cool.
For the Icing:
Beat your butter until soft and fluffy. Add your cream cheese and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla and icing sugar. Spread over the entire cake. If you have doubled this recipe then spread the icing between your layers as well.
To serve, place a slice of cake on a serving plate; spoon some syrup around the plate.
Enjoy with a good cup of tea and great company indoors or out this summer.
Our cake is photographed with étoile home’s Palermo Stripe tablecloths, tea towels and napkins in Gold, Autumn Stripe tablecloth and napkins in Petrol Blue, Hopi, and Huts napkins and Pueblo tea towel all in Petrol Blue all available at Main & Mersey Home Store
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I was recently reminded of something we used to make at summer camp called Bannock, an easy bread recipe that can be made on a fire using the last embers in a frying pan or wrapped around a stick.
I love how modern yet rustic this tart looks, it's an impressive dessert for any occasion, delicious served warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and best of all it's really easy to make. You can replace the fruit and herbs with anything that's in season and voilà!
