Since the unfortunate lemon-thyme crisp incident I've been reluctant to try another recipe that uses herbs otherwise reserved for cooking. I've decided it's been long enough and I will take a stab, hopefully in the right direction, with this recipe for rosemary cake.

Rosemary Loaf Cake
From How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cup self-rising cake flour (you can substitute regular cake flour in that amount with the addition of 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• needles from a 4 to 6-inch stalk of rosemary, chopped small, but not too fine (about 2 teaspoons)
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 9x5-inch loaf pan, buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl mix the flours and rosemary together with a whisk.
• Cream the butter, adding the sugar when it's really soft.
• Cream both together until pale and smooth and light.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, folding in a spoonful of flour after each addition.
• Add the vanilla.
• Fold in the flour using a rubber spatula, alternating with a tablespoon of milk to moisten the batter.
  
• When all of the flour is incorporated, thin the batter with the remaining milk--you're after a soft, dropping consistency--and pour, with some helpful prodding and scraping with your spatula, into the waiting pan.
• Cook for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Cool on a wire rack in its pan and when completely cool, unmold and wrap in foil until you need to eat it.

About this recipe: I took the liberty of changing some of the steps, particularly those concerning folding in the flour and adding the milk. Nigella's recipe says to fold in all of the flour and then thin it out with the milk. My batter was way too dry even after the first addition to follow this. I simply added in a tablespoon of milk after each flour addition. I also added about a tablespoon extra milk for a total of 5 tablespoons to get a still-thick batter that I hope was "soft and dropping" enough.

Other things I didn't do quite as she said: I added all three eggs in before folding in some flour. I was using my mixer and I didn't want to stop in middle to fold in flour by hand. I don't think my batter has suffered because of this. I also stirred the chopped rosemary into the flours instead of folding it in by itself at the end. This makes it easier and incorporates the herb more evenly.

As usual, I opted for other than the 9x5-inch loaf pan--I don't have all night. Instead I'm using my new mini-mini loaf pan with 8 small loaves. They are baking in the oven right now and smell absolutely divine. It's been too long since I've had the aroma of something new in the kitchen.

* * *

The distinctive smell of rosemary was unmistakable when I took the loaves from the hot oven. My mini-mini loaves cooked for a total of 21 minutes. I probably could have taken them out a touch sooner, but they have a delicious looking golden brown rim surrounding each brimming top.

I will report on the result tomorrow since I have to let this teat cool completely before de-panning.