Nigella Challenge: Rosemary Loaf Cake

I was a little apprehensive when I discovered this was to be the next cake in the Nigella Challenge. Hmm... I thought - rosemary in a sweet cake? It actually went down quite nicely in the afternoon with a hot cup of tea. You don't feel like you are entering the sugar crazies and the rosemary is more of an 'aroma' than a flavour. Nigella said something similar (but in a much more enticing fashion):

"There is something muskily aromatic about it against the 

sweet vanilla egginess of the cake."

My gosh she can talk food!

So here it is, Nigella's Rosemary Loaf Cake:

• 250g unsalted butter, soft
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 210g self-raising flour
• 90g plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• needles from a 10cm rosemary stalk, chopped
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp caster sugar, extra

Preheat oven to 170C. Line a 23x13x7cm loaf tin. Cream butter and sugar, until pale. Beat in eggs one at a time (adding a spoonful of the flour alongside to prevent curdling). Add vanilla. 

Fold in combined flours using a spatula, then add the rosemary. Thin the batter with milk and pour into prepared tin.

Bake 1 hour until cooked through and golden (test with a skewer - if it comes out clean its ready). Cool in tin and cut when cool to avoid crumbling.

Nigella suggests serving with stewed apples, but it is also very delightful plain or heated with a little smear butter for added indulgence.