Chocolate Rosemary Cake

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I’m of the mind that you can never have too much chocolate. However, that doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in some unique flavor pairings. Take this chocolate rosemary cake, for example. Rich chocolate and earthy rosemary work together to create a fun cake crowned with a wreath of fresh herbs!

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Thank you to Camp Hollow for providing a product for me to use and review in this post.

Chocolate And Rosemary?

Yes, this chocolate rosemary cake combines two flavors that you won’t often see together. I feel like I have seen them paired in maybe a shortbread cookie before and thought, I think I can run with that. 

As I was perusing The Flavor Thesaurus (can’t live without this book), I once again saw chocolate and rosemary featured as complementary flavors. The chocolate helps highlight the evergreen notes in the rosemary without overpowering the delicate herby essence. It worked well in this cake recipe.

Balancing The Flavors

In this cake recipe, we have three elements; cake, frosting, and ganache. Putting rosemary into every item seemed like overkill, so my goal was balancing the flavors. In the end, I opted for a rosemary infused chocolate cake, intense chocolate buttercream, and a rosemary infused chocolate ganache.

Do you remember the Juniper Latte that Starbucks had on their winter menu years ago? I was supes into that drink, and this cake gave me similar vibes, albeit with a heavy dose of chocolate. The flavor is mild, but unique.

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Chocolate Rosemary Cake

The cake recipe is a full version of my vegan chocolate cupcake recipe. It makes enough batter to create three 6 inch cake layers. Instead of using hot coffee, I steeped rosemary sprigs in hot water, then used that to make the cake batter.

As I was steeping the rosemary, my kitchen smelled a bit like VapoRub, but in an oddly pleasant way. I found 2 hearty sprigs of rosemary to impart a decent amount of flavor, but you could add another sprig for a stronger flavor.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

Liz from The Sugar Geek Show has the most amazing buttercream, known as Easy Buttercream. This is an intensely chocolate version of the recipe. I used 4 ounces of cocoa powder and was terrified that it was way too much. 

It ended up delicious, but you could use much less and still be good. Since there is so much cocoa powder in my buttercream, it’s not even close to being super sweet, which is how I like it!

Related Reading: Death By Dark Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Rosemary Ganache

This ganache is rich, creamy, and infused with hints of herbal rosemary. Without a doubt, this was my favorite element on the cake. The flavors were perfectly balanced and the added corn syrup gives the ganache a gorgeous shine.

My ganache was a bit thick, so if you prefer a thinner ganache that will create a runnier drip, add a bit more cream until you have the consistency you like. If it gets too runny, simply add more chocolate to thicken it back up.

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See It In Action

And for my visual learners, check out the video tutorial for this chocolate rosemary cake! The cake is awesome because you don’t even need a mixer, just a big ole bowl and a whisk.

Creating the rosemary wreath and adding the ceramic cake topper was easy, but I’ll walk you through the entire process in the video. I wasn’t sure if my vision would work, but it came out great.

Dress ‘Er Up

The most important thing about a cake is if it tastes good. This easy cake checks that box, but let’s up the ante and make it look just as beautiful! Once the chocolate drip was mostly set, but still soft, I added a wreath of fresh rosemary.

To get a good shape, I snipped some of the larger sprigs into shorter pieces and just overlapped them as I worked my way around the cake. If there are any ugly stems sticking out, cover them with tiny sprays of rosemary.

For the pièce de résistance, I added this gorgeous ceramic deer candle holder to the center of the cake. I pressed it in just enough so the ganache would hold it sturdy at the hooves. Camp Hollow was kind enough to send me this guy, but they have so many other designs. GO check them out!

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Enjoy!

I hope you get to enjoy a slice of this chocolate rosemary cake soon! If you do, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. It’s a unique flavor combo that is perfect for chocolate lovers looking for something a bit more exciting.

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Chocolate Rosemary Cake

Rosemary infused cake covered in rich chocolate buttercream and topped with a chocolate rosemary ganache.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Birthday, Cake, Chocolate, Frosting, Ganache, Holiday

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Assembly Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 slices

Calories 399kcal

Author Colleen

Ingredients

Chocolate Rosemary Cake

• 14 fl oz water
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
• 1.25 oz cocoa powder
• 11 oz sugar
• 6.75 oz all- purpose flour
• 3 oz cake flour
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt
• 4 fl oz canola oil
• 1.5 tsp white vinegar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

• 4 oz pasteurized carton egg whites
• 16 oz powdered sugar sifted
• 2 - 4 oz cocoa powder sifted
• 16 oz unsalted butter softened
• 1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Rosemary Ganache

• 4 oz heavy cream
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
• 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
• 1 Tbsp corn syrup optional

Instructions

Chocolate Rosemary Cake

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly coat three 6 inch cake pans with baking spray and line with parchment rounds. Set aside.
• Bring water just to a boil in a small saucepan. Immediately turn off the heat and add fresh rosemary to the pot. Cover and steep for 10 minutes. Discard rosemary when it is done steeping.
• Sift cocoa powder into a medium bowl and add 12 oz of hot rosemary infused water. Stir until combined. Set the chocolate mixture aside. Sift flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a medium or large bowl. Set aside.
• Add oil, vinegar, and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Gently stir until combined. There may be a few lumps, but there shouldn't be any pockets of flour.
• Divide among the prepared pans (about 12 oz each) and add baking strips, if using. Bake 30- 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool for 10 more minutes before flipping the cakes over to finish cooling.
• Wrap the cakes in two layers of cling film and store in the fridge overnight.

Easy Chocolate Buttercream

• Whip the egg whites, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder on a medium- high speed for 3 minutes.
• Bump the speed down to medium- high and begin adding the butter one tablespoon at a time, letting each piece incorporate before adding the next. Once all the butter has been added, scrape the bowl down and whip on high for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
• Switch to the paddle attachment and add the vanilla to the buttercream. Beat to combine. Taste and adjust flavors as desired. If it tastes too buttery, beat on a medium- high speed for an additional 3- 5 minutes.

Chocolate Rosemary Ganache

• Heat the cream until steaming, but not boiling. Remove from the heat, add rosemary to the pot, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Then remove rosemary and measure out 3 oz of infused cream.
• Heat the rosemary cream until very warm and pour over chopped chocolate in a small heat proof bowl. Let the mixture sit for a minute, then stir until it begins to form a smooth ganache.
• Stir in the corn syrup for a super shiny finish. If the ganache is still chunky, microwave in 5 second bursts and stir until smooth. If it is too thick, add more warm cream a teaspoon at a time.

Assembly

• Level the cake layers and place one on a cake board. Add a layer of frosting and repeat with the next layer. Top with the third cake layer upside down to minimize crumbs. Cover in a thin layer of buttercream and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Cover the chilled cake in a final coat of buttercream and smooth until you have an even layer. Chill the cake in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.
• With a chilled cake, use a piping bag or a spoon to drip ganache around the edge of the cake. Start with a test drip on the back of the cake to make sure it is at the right temperature and consistency. Fill in the top of the cake with extra ganache and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Top the cake off with a wreath of fresh rosemary. Place small sprigs around the edge of the cake. Use even smaller bunches to fill in any gaps.

Notes

• I had plenty of buttercream leftover! 
• Choose how intense you want the frosting with the amount of cocoa. I used 4 oz and it was very rich and decadent. For a lighter chocolate hit, go as low as 2 oz.

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