For lovers of a not-too-sweet dessert, this cozy snacking cake is for you. Featuring autumnal pear, woodsy rosemary, and chocolate chunks, it’s the ideal slice for anyone who prefers their cake with a savory angle (like test kitchen director Chris Morocco, who, after tasting it, squirreled away a piece for his breakfast the next day). With each bite, the rosemary-sugar-crusted top gives way to a lighter-than-expected interior. This is achieved by whipping the eggs and sugar until they reach a ribbon-like consistency, which adds lots of air into the finished batter. Leave your snacking cake on the counter to cut into throughout the day. It’s great with a cup of coffee, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or with a spoonful of whipped cream or crème fraîche for dessert.
What you’ll need
Round Cake Pan
$20 $16 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$400 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$16 At Amazon
Cake Tester
$5 At Amazon
Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes (plus cooling)
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°. Brush a 9"-diameter cake pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Line bottom with a parchment paper round and brush round with oil. Lightly dust pan with all-purpose flour, tapping out excess. Whisk 1¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl to combine; set aside.
Step 2
Beat 2 large eggs and ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium-high speed until doubled in size, pale in color, and mixture falls back onto itself in a slowly dissolving ribbon, 12–14 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with motor running, gradually pour in ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil; mix until combined. Add ¼ cup plain whole-milk yogurt and ½ tsp. vanilla extract and mix on low speed just until combined. Sift in reserved dry ingredients and beat on low speed until barely incorporated, about 15 seconds. Set aside ¼ cup from 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, cut into ⅓" pieces, for topping cake. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 3 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, and remaining pears until evenly distributed and any last streaks of dry ingredients are incorporated.
Step 3
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Top with reserved pears, then 1 Tbsp. finely chopped rosemary and 1 Tbsp. raw sugar. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake until golden brown on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan.
Step 4
Turn cake out onto rack and carefully peel away parchment paper; discard. Invert cake onto a plate (it should be right side up now). Serve slices topped with sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche if desired.
Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.
