Lemon and Rosemary Sponge Cake

Yesterday, while I was cooking, I thought about why I started this blog and why I have been writing regularly for almost 4 years. It’s simple: I have always loved cooking. I am curious in the kitchen, and the blog has helped me feed my curiosity and improve my methods and the recipes I prepare every time.

Cooking saved my life! It gave me a purpose, a motivation. After 4 years, the kitchen is still my playground, my therapy, and one of the satisfactions of my daily life.

I started blogging because I wanted to share the recipes I liked the most, to keep track of new discoveries, and to connect with people like you, who want to offer happiness through a simple dish.

Every time I write a post for the blog, every time I try a recipe, I calibrate the timing and the quality of the recipes without overcomplicating things.

This way of writing has become a habit, and the recipes I offer for our friendship are the simplest way to introduce myself.

My goal after 4 years is to get to know you better, to offer you increasingly better recipes that satisfy your habits, tastes, and expectations. So, who YOU are?

I am just over thirty years old, I live in beautiful Bucovina, and when I don't have to cook at the restaurant, I prepare meals for two, sometimes for 4 to 6 people. I prefer quick meals with a large amount of vegetables. I tend to avoid sugar and refined flour, even if I love devouring an unhealthy cake from time to time.

I would like to eat (and cook) more fish, but I don't always find the quality I want, as the selection is limited in this area. I cannot cook without extra virgin olive oil, which I also can't always find like the one I discovered in Italy. I can't live without hot peppers and fresh green basil 💚

I cook 2 meals, maybe 3 per day, and they are usually Mediterranean-style dishes, but I also have fun combining Asian or Indian ingredients, or both in one plate. I look for inspiration for my recipes on blogs in all sorts of foreign languages (Google Translate is my friend), in cookbooks, or simply by looking at what is in the fridge.

To thank you for your time, I am offering you a breakfast recipe with a simple taste that combines two of my favorite flavors: lemon zest and fresh rosemary.

For this fluffy cake, you need:

1 lemon, organic if possible because we will use the zest as well, 4 eggs, 180 grams of sugar, 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, 180 ml of sunflower oil, 250 grams of wheat flour, 15 grams of baking powder, a pinch of fine salt.

In a small bowl, finely chop the rosemary, grate the zest of the whole lemon, and mix together with the sugar. Let these 3 ingredients sit together for 5 minutes.

Beat the 4 eggs and the flavored sugar with a mixer until you obtain a fine, airy cream, like a foam.

Now we need to add the oil and the juice of a whole lemon, but not all at once. Add it little by little, until it is incorporated into the egg foam. Sift the flour so it is well-aerated and mix it with the baking powder and salt.

Combine the egg foam with the flour and mix gently.

Once the batter is homogeneous, pour it into a round pan that you have greased with a little butter.

Bake the cake in the oven at 190 degrees for 35 minutes. It is ready when it has a dark brown color on the surface.

Decorate with powdered sugar and very finely chopped rosemary.

Serve with pleasure!