Rosemary Butter Cake With Fresh Apricots
Infusing butter can be so damn useful. You can infuse it with any herb you'd like: basil, rosemary, thyme, tea, cannabis (😎). For this recipe, I just took a handful of rosemary and placed it in a saucepan with a stick of butter.
Rosemary Butter Cake
Yield: Makes 1 cake
INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup melted rosemary butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
Rosemary butter sauce:
Rosemary sprigs in 3/4 sugar
⅓ c butter
3 TBSp water
2 tsps vanilla extract
Mascarpone whipped cream:
8oz mascarpone cheese, room temp
1 cup heavy cream
½ c confectioners sugar
Garnish:
6 apricots, halved (you can use any fruit you'd like though)
1-2 sprigs rosemary
METHOD:
Put a handful of rosemary and 1 cup of butter into a small saucepan. Melt over a medium heat and let the rosemary sit in the butter overnight.
Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 325 F, grease 2 9-inch cake pans.
In a large bowl, mix flour, 2 cups sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda. Blend in buttermilk, 1 cup of butter, and 2 teaspoons vanilla and 4 eggs. Beat for 3 minutes. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 60 minutes or until stick comes out clean. Cool before removing from the pan.
*Unfrosted cakes can be made a day in advance, just wrap tightly with plastic wrap to store.
Make rosemary butter sauce: Combine ¾ cups sugar, ⅓ cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and water. Cook over a medium heat until just melted.
Make mascarpone whipped cream: Whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, whisk mascarpone and confectioners sugar. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
Assemble:
Using a serrated knife, slice off the tops of the cakes to level them. Using a pastry brush, brush the rosemary butter sauce onto the tops of the cake. The sauce will further flavor the cake and help it stay extra moist (sorry if you hate that word).
Next, place the cake on a plate or cake stand, top-side up, and add 1/3 of the mascarpone frosting. Using the back of a spoon or a pallet knife spread the frosting into an even layer.
TIME FOR THE NEXT LAYER. You ready? I am.
Top side down, place the second layer onto the cake. Now you'll have a gorgeous flat surface. Frost the top of the cake and gently spread the excess frosting along the sides, creating a rustic feel. Top with halved apricots and rosemary sprigs, slice, and ENJOY! (This cake will fresh up to 2 days at room temp)