Can I tell you, I’m a sucker for those video recipes on Facebook.  They snag me every time! I mean, they look amazing!  Am I right?

That said, I’ve never tried one.  So, one in particular caught my attention, and I thought I would give it a try. Spoiler alert: the result was delicious!

The recipe I decided to try is for chocolate dipped olive oil cakes.  This may not sound like the most appetizing thing on a menu. Before I ever tasted olive oil cake, it was not generally in my “go to” category for a dessert.  However, now that I know how succulent, flavorful and interesting an olive oil cake is, I will order it any time I see it.

The first time I ever tried an olive oil cake was at the restaurant Osteria Mozza, in Los Angeles (now nominated for a 2016 James Beard award for best pastry chef). My foodie friend, Adrienne took me there for my birthday and suggested we order the olive oil cake for dessert. She has never led me astray when it comes to food, so I agreed.  Sure enough, that first bite of olive oil cake filled my mouth with a beautiful combination of sweet and savory.  I was surprised and delighted.  It was so simple and yet the flavors were complex and delicious.

When I saw the video recipe for chocolate dipped olive oil cakes, I thought, why not?  Besides, I needed to start thinking about a new recipe for the Wine Club to pair with a sparkling rose brut.  This sounded like the perfect pairing!
Here’s the thing…I’m such a brat.  Seriously.  I can’t just follow a recipe.  I always end up tweaking it and doing my own thing.  The video recipe was for small olive oil cake bites, dipped completely in chocolate.  Aside from altering elements of the recipe slightly, I filled up the tin and basically made olive oil muffins, which I dipped either half in chocolate or topped with chocolate.  I even hollowed out a couple and gave them a chocolate surprise inside.  Regardless, they all turned out perfectly and were super moist for days.  They made a lovely dessert or snack with coffee.

So, with no further ado, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. of finely chopped rosemary
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. of orange zest
• 2 Tbsp. of whole milk
• Melted chocolate
• Sugar orange twist for garnish
• Rosemary leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl, then set aside.
3. Mix together rosemary, sugar, eggs, olive oil, orange juice, orange zest and milk in a separate bowl.
4. Slowly add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients until you have a consistent batter.
5. Oil your mini muffin tin.
6. Fill each slot with batter so it’s 1/2 way to the top.
7. Bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let it cool to room temp.
9. Dip each mini olive oil cake in melted chocolate (it’s also delightful to serve with vanilla ice cream)