Rosemary Chocolate Cake

A few years ago I found a cake recipe that used oil and yogurt as opposed to butter and milk and it yields a glorious result every time I make it. But once I find a base recipe I really like, and practice it to perfection, I like to experiment. This one started out as light lemon cake, but through several major changes I've adapted it into richer, delicious dessert.

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients
1/2 cup of olive oil (infused with 3-5 sprigs of rosemary for at least 30 minutes)
5-6 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup yogurt
2 large eggs
6 ounces chocolate chips
2 tbsp strongly brewed green tea

Recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a nine inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.

3. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips. 3 minutes in the microwave does the job. Make sure you mix afterwards to ensure all chips have melted.

4. Remove all rosemary from the oil and mix infused oil into the melted chocolate. In a large bowl mix together sugar and ricotta until smooth. After they are thoroughly combine, stir in yogurt, eggs and green tea. Then mix in the oil/chocolate mixture.

5. Mix about 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then stir in the rest in two batches. Mix just until everything is thoroughly incorporated but do not over mix.

6. Scare the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick come out clean.

7. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before gently running a knife around the edge and removing it from the pan. Remove the parchment paper and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

8. You can top the cake with whatever you choose, but I opted for a light dusting of matcha green tea powder.

Bon Appetite!