Chocolate Rosemary Cake

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

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

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

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 35

Assembly Time 1

Total Time 2 20

Servings 16 slices

Calories 399kcal

Author Colleen

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.