[Where is my lucky-star - Honey, rosemary and gorgonzola loaf cake]

gorgonzola-cake.jpg

Before I start I should warn you. When I’m sick, I love to complain. And well, as my body temperature has now reached 39.7°C, I guess I wouldn’t be wrong if I said I am indeed ill. For the third time in less than a month.
I’m really starting to wonder where the heck my lucky-start has gone.
Note: you, yes you know who you are, who have stolen *my* star. Please bring it back. Right now.

Does anyone care about the fact that I’m so sick I can’t move from my bed (only slightly exaggerating here)? Hmmm not really. I know you want sophisticated desserts. And eye-catching entremets. And sweet tarts. And fluffy cakes. And trust me, I want them too. But right now only soups and savoury comfort food seem to be right. Foodbeam might turn into soupbeam. How yummy is that?

Today, while the pain killers were slowly making their job - giving me a couple of hours of relied, I made what appeared to be the best for me. Something with honey. To soothe my sore throat, you know. Something with rosemary. Known, along with thyme, as being a natural anti-bacterial agent. Something with cheese. Just because I love cheese.
It was good. And I’m sure that if I could smell, I would have referred to it as great. I might have to taste it again later during the week, when I’ll finally be better (although, I’m so pessimist right now that I feel like it’s never going to end - never).

By chance, the cake - or loaf cake, in correct English - was a doodle to make. The egg whites are whipped. The egg yolks, honey, butter, rosemary and flour are mixed. The egg whites are folded in. The cheese is eaten and what remains is incorporated into the batter. The loaf is baked and left to cool. The loaf is good.

Cake au miel, romarin et gorgonzola
Adapted from Elle à table.

This loaf is moist and flavourful. Egg whites, baking powder and baking soda are used as leaveners. But its fluffiness mostly comes from the egg whites, so you should take care to whip them until they for firm peaks.
The recipe calls for gorgonzola, but I decided to use gorgonzola-mascarpone cheese since that’s what I had in my fridge. But to be honest, I do think it added pleasing creaminess without cutting too much on the flavour.
The honey isn’t too noticeable. Just enough to bring a great contrast with the saltiness of the cheese.
As you can see from the picture, my loaf quickly became dark on top. SO do not hesitate to cover it with foil after 30 minutes.

Cake au miel, romarin et gorgonzola

3 eggs, separated
160ml milk
200g flour
2tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
135g butter, melted
150g gorgonzola, cut into slices
2 1/2 tbsp runny honey
leaves from 2 rosemary stalks, roughly chopped
75g freshly grated parmigiano

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Whip the egg whites until firm. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, milk, flour, baking powder and soda, until smooth. Add the melted butted, honey, rosemary and parmigiano.
Pour half of the batter into a lined loaf tin. Sprinkle with the sliced gorgonzola and cover with the remaining batter.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Unmould and allow to cool before serving.

Posted by fanny who loves cakes of all kind, cheese, herbs, honey, nibbles, recipe inside, the insane blogger she is (nablopomo)