Rosemary Remembrance Cake
by Nigella. Featured in FEASTIntroduction
The food we eat connects us so deeply to those we love and, perhaps, especially so when they are no longer with us. And this recipe is really in honour of my maternal grandmother, and not just because her name was Rosemary. And yes, rosemary is, as Ophelia tells Hamlet, “for remembrance”, and has been since Egyptian times. Indeed, many Australians and New Zealanders wear a sprig of it to honour their fallen on Anzac Day.
This is the cake I make when a friend is bereaved — and I know that many of you, ever since the recipe appeared in Feast, do likewise. It’s plain, undemanding, and offers sweet, scented comfort when grief makes eating difficult.
And in its own simple way, it’s a beautiful cake, the rosemary sprig curving out over the top, down the length of the biscuity gold, dense loaf.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
The food we eat connects us so deeply to those we love and, perhaps, especially so when they are no longer with us. And this recipe is really in honour of my maternal grandmother, and not just because her name was Rosemary. And yes, rosemary is, as Ophelia tells Hamlet, “for remembrance”, and has been since Egyptian times. Indeed, many Australians and New Zealanders wear a sprig of it to honour their fallen on Anzac Day.
This is the cake I make when a friend is bereaved — and I know that many of you, ever since the recipe appeared in Feast, do likewise. It’s plain, undemanding, and offers sweet, scented comfort when grief makes eating difficult.
And in its own simple way, it’s a beautiful cake, the rosemary sprig curving out over the top, down the length of the biscuity gold, dense loaf.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Yields: approx. 10 slices
For the Filling
- 1 eating apple (approx 180g / 6oz in weight)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (1 small and 1 long)
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
- 1 teaspoon butter
For the Cake Batter
- 225 grams butter
- 150 grams caster sugar (plus 1 tablespoon)
- 3 large eggs
- 300 grams plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
For the Filling
- 1 eating apple (approx 180g / 6oz in weight)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (1 small and 1 long)
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
- zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
- 1 teaspoon butter
For the Cake Batter
- 2 sticks butter
- ¾ cup superfine sugar (plus 1 tablespoon)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Method
- Peel, core and roughly chop the apple and put into a saucepan with the small sprig of rosemary, the teaspoon of sugar, the lemon zest and juice, and butter. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 4-8 minutes until the apple is soft. How long this takes really depends on the variety of apple you're using. Coxes cook the fastest, and are good here.
- Leave to cool, and fish out the rosemary sprig when it is cold.
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170°C/150°C Fan/325ºF. Line a 450g / 1lb loaf tin with a loaf liner, or butter and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Put the cooled apple into a food processor and blitz to a pulp. Then add the butter, 150g / ¾ cup of sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder and process to a smooth batter.
- Spoon and scrape into the loaf tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and then lay the long sprig of rosemary along the centre of the cake. On baking, the rosemary sheds its oil to leave a scented path down the middle of the cake.
- Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, then leave to cool on a rack. Slip the paper-lined cake out of the tin once it is cool.
- Peel, core and roughly chop the apple and put into a saucepan with the small sprig of rosemary, the teaspoon of sugar, the lemon zest and juice, and butter. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 4-8 minutes until the apple is soft. How long this takes really depends on the variety of apple you're using. Coxes cook the fastest, and are good here.
- Leave to cool, and fish out the rosemary sprig when it is cold.
- Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170°C/150°C Fan/325ºF. Line a 450g / 1lb loaf tin with a loaf liner, or butter and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Put the cooled apple into a food processor and blitz to a pulp. Then add the butter, 150g / ¾ cup of sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder and process to a smooth batter.
- Spoon and scrape into the loaf tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and then lay the long sprig of rosemary along the centre of the cake. On baking, the rosemary sheds its oil to leave a scented path down the middle of the cake.
- Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean, then leave to cool on a rack. Slip the paper-lined cake out of the tin once it is cool.
Additional Information
Make more of the same sized cake, not a big huge one, if you need more slices.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The cake can be frozen, wrapped in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil, for up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Make more of the same sized cake, not a big huge one, if you need more slices.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The cake can be frozen, wrapped in a double layer of food wrap and a layer of foil, for up to 3 months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature for about 4 hours.
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Show more commentsBeautiful tender cake, I make to remember and to enjoy. Always delicious with a cup of tea, of course
I have made and loved this cake countless times! Thank you
I made this yesterday (I’m getting very good at making what Nigella tells me to -it takes the burden of decision making from me!) and it is lovely. It evokes the past and its sugary top and subtle flavours make it a delight to eat. So appropriate for the times, too!
This was such a comforting cake to create, I made it in honour of my dearest Great Aunt at the sad time of her loss. It looked beautiful and tasted lovely. Genuinely a very thoughtful bake to give to a loved one with a kind remembrance story behind it, for times when there aren't words to help people feel better.
A kind friend made this for my mother in law when my father in law died. It was such a comfort to us - and we all enjoyed it. Many commented upon how delicious this cake was
Rosemary stands for Remembrance.A Lovely way to Honour a Beloved No longer of this Earth. Nice to see,since it would help with Grief over death of Beloved sister. Too Young.The Cake is a Divine, delicious Way of Quietly Saying, "You're LOVED". In Absentia...