Meet Lauren Kase, friend + subscriber of Brightland! Lauren is the Head of Brand Marketing & Communications at Detroit Based furniture brand FLOYD. She can't resist a pastry, a long hike, jetting off to a new place, or finding a way to get on the ski slopes! Read on for our interview with Lauren, and her fun spin on Heidi Swanson's Rosemary Olive Oil Cake, using Brightland!
"Bring it to a BBQ, serve it for desert, have a slice with Saturday AM coffee — it's delicious anytime. Can't take any credit though, Heidi Swanson is a genius & Brightland Olive Oil makes this cake sing!" - Lauren
Interview with Meryl Feinstein
What do you like to keep out on your kitchen countertop or "kitchen shelfie"?I keep some of my favorite cookbooks. Alice Water's " The Art of Simple Food' taught me how to cook!
What does living in a golden state meant to you?Being myself fully.
If you could host a dinner party at home and invite 3 guests, who would they be, what would you serve and what music would play in the background?A dinner with close friends always means lots of laughs. I'd have three of them over & roast a chicken — it never fails & is so easy. Would whip up a salad & have a little blistered tomato & yogurt goodness to put on everything! I love playing The National while I cook —they pair well with evening & a glass of vino!
What is your favorite independent magazine to feel inspired by + learn from?Apartamento Magazine. I love seeing interesting people's real interiors.
What was your favorite thing that your mom/dad/grandparent cooked for you when you were little?My grandma's homemade chicken soup with brown rice, it was always a treat.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
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- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch
- 1 cup of Brightland AWAKE olive oil
Instructions
- 1 Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Rub a 9 1/2-inch (24 cm) fluted tart pan, or equivalent, with Brightland (and/or line with parchment paper).
- 2 Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl. Set aside.
- 3 In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the Brightland's AWAKE, milk and rosemary and whisk again. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate. Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the second sugar.
- 4 Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. My cake, in the alternate pan, took closer to 50 minutes. Also, just when my cake was nearly finished baking, I decided I wanted a bit more color on top. I finished it under the broiler for a minute - which caramelized the sugar on top as well and gave it a bit of crunch. Don't walk away from the cake while it is under the broiler.
- 5 Note: The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, or cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic, and kept for 2 days.
Photo Credit: Heidi Swanson
