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miniature olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake + peppermint no-churn ice cream

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olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake with peppermint no-churn ice cream

It’s a holiday birthday cake!

One of my dearest friends and future bridesmaids (!) had her birthday over Thanksgiving a few weeks ago. As hallmates in law school, we bonded over a mutual love for Waffle House and thick-skinned potstickers. Instead of heated civil rights debates, we discussed the finer points of chicken versus pork ramen broths. (Best law students ever.) Then we both came to New York for work! We ended up just one serendipitous floor apart in the same building. She was one of the first “real life” people I ever told about this little space of mine, and somehow she never gets tired of discussing what I should make next or when I should post what. (Our work situation also means she’s usually the one who gets leftovers from blog shoots on Mondays — I hand them off to her in our shared elevator bank like hot potatoes or illicit contraband and then we run into our separate elevators like be cool, man, be cool!)

olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake with peppermint no-churn ice cream
olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake with peppermint no-churn ice cream olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake with peppermint no-churn ice cream
olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake with peppermint no-churn ice cream

Katie might just be the biggest fan of Christmas I know — I count on her to let me know how many days until it’s appropriate to start playing holiday music and when the red cups are back — so when sundry work and travel things got in the way of a timely celebration, we made up for it this past weekend with this Christmas’ed-out birthday cake. It’s a moist, rich olive oil cake (miniature, of course) studded with subtle bits of rosemary (yes, I’m officially obsessed) and not-so-subtle chunks of dark chocolate, topped with a dark chocolate ganache, heaps of peppermint no-churn ice cream, and because more is more, bits of Australian red licorice, in honor of her favorite actress. (This was my first time eating Australian licorice, by the way, and let me just say that Mindy knows what’s up.)

The no-churn peppermint ice cream — let me repeat, no churn! — deserves a few words of its own. I’ve been meaning to make one of Sarah’s no-churn ice creams for over a year now (especially since our ice cream machine makes an ungodly racket that drives me to churn ice cream in the bathroom) and now that I have, I may have to toss our machine. The mixture whips up in no time flat, and the resulting ice cream is so smooth, creamy, and all-around delicious that you’d never be able to tell that it wasn’t slow-churned with rock salt and racket. It melts a little faster than the machine version, but that’s a peril I’m willing to face for magical, easy, beyond-wonderful ice cream.

All in all, there’s a lot going on in this cake-sundae, but it works — rosemary and peppermint play well together, the olive oil threads an understated, savory unity through it all, and of course, dark chocolate goes with anything. I froze the cake here into an impromptu ice cream cake, but I think this is best the way I ended up serving it last weekend — with the olive oil cake still warm from the oven, drizzled with plenty of chocolate ganache, and eaten as the ice cream melts into the crags of the cake. I think it took us most of the evening to recover from it, but that’s what Christmas and birthdays and Christmas-birthdays are for, right?

Happy, happy birthday, Katie! I’d have to make a million more of these before it equaled how awesome you are!

olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake with peppermint no-churn ice cream

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Mini olive oil, dark chocolate & rosemary cake + peppermint no-churn ice cream.

Print Recipe

This makes one generous portion for a birthday or a reasonable dessert for two. If you prefer, you can easily omit the rosemary, and the olive oil can also be swapped out for the same amount of a neutral vegetable oil. For a vegan and dairy-free option, use almond milk and soy yogurt in the cake, almond milk or coconut milk in the ganache, and serve with vegan ice cream of your choice.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 7 tbsp (55 g) all-purpose flour (if you don’t have a kitchen scale, I would use 6 tbsp, fluffed, lightly scooped, and leveled; see Notes)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp white, apple cider, or rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp Greek or plain yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips (ideally 60% cacao)
  • for the ganache:
  • 2 oz (about 5 tbsp) dark chocolate
  • 2 tbsp (1 oz) heavy cream
  • for topping:
  • 2 generous scoops peppermint no-churn ice cream (see Notes below for slight alterations)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For a layer cake, line three 4-ounce or 2 6-ounce porcelain ramekins with parchment paper. For one layer, use a 4-inch cake pan or a 4×4-inch glass dish, if you have one.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda, and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, milk, yogurt, and rosemary. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just barely incorporated, then gently fold in the chocolate in a few strokes.
  3. Divide batter evenly between the ramekins and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until domes have set and bounce back when touched, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If using a single pan, bake for about 25 minutes and test starting around 23 minutes.
  4. Let cakes cool briefly, then run a sharp knife around the edges of the ramekin or cake pan and invert. The layers should slide out easily.
  5. To make the ganache, simply combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 20-second increments, stirring well after each increment, until it becomes a thick chocolate sauce. You can also heat the heavy cream until it just barely simmers, pour it over the chocolate, and let sit for 3 minutes, then stir, as per this recipe, or use a double boiler. Also, if the ganache is too thick, adjust by adding more cream and reheating; if too thin, add more chocolate and reheat. Once it’s smooth and to your liking, pour immediately over the cake.
  6. Serve immediately with peppermint ice cream or ice cream of your choice.

Notes

Measuring flour by tablespoons can be a bit finicky weight-wise. When scooping by tablespoons instead of scooping into a cup and leveling, 6 tablespoons can add up to 1/2 cup of flour by weight (63 g) fairly easily, and will result in a denser cake, more like pound cake in texture, that stays pale even when fully baked. The amount above (55g) should be golden brown on top once baked, and is light and more delicate. Happily, both are delicious, just in different ways.

For the ice cream, I ended up adding half the candy cane into the sweetened condensed milk before folding in the whipped cream by accident, but after a second test, I thought that that infused the ice cream with a stronger candy cane flavor and kind of preferred it. (Plus, it turns the ice cream such a pretty pink!) I also used the full 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract for a stronger mint flavor.

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  2. Lindsey

    this. is. the. best. like, ever! ok, photos are drop dead, but your description of your friendship with katie warms my heart so much. she sounds like a lovely soul to have in your corner.

    these flavors though…cake, candy, rosemary, ice cream (!), australian licorice (isn’ that stuff insane!? i could eat bags of it.) and chocolate ganache! so so gorgeous cynthia! xo’s!

    Reply

    • tworedbowls

      She totally is 🙂 and omg YES Australian licorice!!! I can’t get over it! Like Twizzlers (which I admittedly already love) got with strawberries and had way upgraded babies. Thanks so much for such sweet words, Lindsey!!

      Reply

  4. Belinda Lo (Moonblush Baker)

    I think having a food blog means that friends are more likely to stay friends. Not just because of the left overs, but the common love of eating and creating good food. Katie is one lucky duck to get your food!

    Love your mini cakes! They always put a smile on my face. The flavor combo is complex but so balanced. Definitely one for the books

    Reply

  5. stephanie

    i love this! the cake flavours sound intensely delicious, but even more than that, how wonderful is it to have a friend who has the same interests (and work!) as you? i can totally imagine the two of you exchanging “contraband” baked goods 🙂

    and….i haven’t had australian red licorice, but i think i’m going to have to find some!

    Reply

    • tworedbowls

      <3 <3 You're the best, Steph :) and omg yesss!! I can't get enough of it!! It's like if Twizzlers got cute and fat and dolled up in strawberry deliciousness... I think I'm going to have to stock up xD

      Reply

  6. Kat

    I’m with you – warm cake with ice cream melting into the crevices, always wins first place… But! the mini cake is so beautiful frozen…soo in conclusion great excuse to make it twice! And ps – only new yorkers would understand the necessity of utilizing all space given to make it happen – even if it’s the bathroom! bravo!

    Reply

    • tworedbowls

      bahaha so true!!! And it’s so mini that you could make it a bunch of times and it’d just turn out to be a normal cake! (Or so I told myself, when I tested it like five times. ha!)

      Reply

    • tworedbowls

      You know, I wasn’t sure peppermint and rosemary were going to go together! But it ended up so tasty. Thank you so much, Abby!!! (And thank you for commenting, because it reminded me to put some notes on how to veganize this cake! Hurray!!)

      Reply

  9. Brooke Bass

    I love the bit about y’all exchanging leftovers like contraband! What an awesome friend to have.

    And oh my, this cake is amazing. It’s so decadent, I feel like it belongs in its very own palace of snowflakes and candy canes. (Major Christmas nerd here–can you tell?)

    Reply

  13. mandylee@ladyandpups

    What I write on the edible gift bday card would be “hey girl! I made the most awesome indulging ice cream cake you for yo bday, and as what a true friend would do, I ate it for you, too! You’re welcome.” I trust that they all understand…

    Reply

  18. vikalinkafood

    Your writing makes me smile! Sounds like you have a great friend and she is so blessed to have you to bake her a birthday cake! It seems like every time I make a friend like that I move away and leave her behind but because of that I appreciate special people in my life that much more. 🙂 Lovely cake, Cynthia!

    Reply

  19. Aysegul

    Ahh how much I love my friends who likes to talk about what to make next the blog…
    This cake is just so so gorgeous. Katie is a very lucky gal!
    Happy holidays..

    Reply

  22. Pang @ circahappy

    What a wonderful friend you are!!!!! I can totally imagine both of you having a great time eating this wonderful creation of yours. I agree that “more is more” in this case is so much better than “less is more.” 🙂

    OMG!!! I really want to devour this. <3 <3 <3

    Reply

  26. Sini | My Blue&White Kitchen

    Happy birthday, Katie! Gosh, you lucky girl; that cake is awesome. I’ve been meaning to make Sarah’s no-churn ice cream for over a year now too, but somehow I just haven’t made it happen. I should. I totally should. Beautiful as always, Cynthia! xoxo

    Reply

  27. Nicole

    This cake is so lovely! And what a wonderful and thoughtful friend you are to make such a spectacular cake. How nice to have a good friend living so close by. I’ve tried the Australian black licorice, but now I MUST try the red.

    Reply

  30. wallflourgirl

    That’s one lucky hallmate, girl! I love love love when I meet people who inspire me to do my best and actually enjoy throwing ideas for the blog around. Talk about a sanity check! I have two friends who have helped–one who texts me randomly with crazy ideas for food, the other who sends bunches of crazy links my way with the message, “Hey do this next”–so I’m glad you’re celebrating your friend for the holiday season! These are some awesome flavors and ideas–and no-churn is right up my alley!

    Reply

  31. alanafixfeastflair

    You are a genius. This combo is out of this world. I don’t even know how you dreamt it up but it sounds divine! Your girl friend is insanely lucky to not only have such a beautiful mini cake created in her honor but also to be trading snacks with you. I’d die to get a two red bowls elevator handoff on Mondays!!

    Also, I’ve never had Australian red licorice but you better believe I’ll be on the look out for it now!!

    Reply

  32. Sarah @ SnixyKitchen

    This is such a stunning cake! And no churn peppermint ice cream?! That has my name written all over it. Katie is one lucky friend! (I’m imagining you now trying to smuggle THIS cake in through the elevator under your shirt – bahaha – it’d be a sticky mess).

    Reply

  33. Ashlae

    Reading about your relationship with your dear friend warmed my heart to the maaaaaax, lady. And this cake! It looks outta this world good and although I’m freezing my ass off in a poorly heated coffee shop right now, I’d do questionable things to get my hands on some peppermint ice cream. Merry Christmas to you and yours! <3

    Reply

  35. Katie @ Butterlust

    I am so in love with everything going on in this cake. I would never have thought to add the Australian licorice (gah, I love that stuff), but it’s so perfect – you’re a genius! You words about your friendship with Katie are beautiful and heartwarming. And since we share the same name I can totally fangirl out and pretend you’re talking about me. Just kidding…kinda. 🙂

    Reply

  36. caitlintherese

    lovely! I don’t know why more no-churn ice cream recipes aren’t floating around. I love my little cuisinart ice cream machine, but it’s not reinventing the wheel or anything… just slow churning. thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  38. emily

    I think I’d die — DIE! — right on the spot if I was the recipient of any of your mini-cake creations, Cynthia — not to mention a member of the Monday Morning Leftover Squad. Katie sounds like a lovely friend to have, and worthy of your culinary genius many times over! 🙂

    Reply

  40. Renee

    This is THE CUTEST miniature cake ever. And the one with the most insane flavour combinations. Well, ok, not the most insane. But olive oil, chocolate, rosemary AND peppermint ice cream, seriously. Yum! So sweet that you made your university friend this cake and that you’re still spending some lovely time together!

    Reply

  41. Cheryl

    What.. what the what.. WHAT. I cannot even. Every single thing about this cake sounds unbelievable, from the no-churn…….-ness of the ice cream, to the rosemary, the peppermint, the dark chocolate. Dear GOD, is it acceptable to just skip dinner and dive right into this recipe instead?!

    Reply

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