Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake with Rosemary

This rosemary chocolate chip loaf cake uses buttermilk and sour cream for a tender texture. The fragrant rosemary and sweet chocolate chips make for a fun flavor combo that could swing sweet or savory if not for the crackly sugar topping that makes this a decidedly dessert affair.

Not sure you're on board with rosemary in a dessert? Pairing it with chocolate in a moist, tender cake will absolutely convince you that fresh herbs belong on the dessert table.

Honestly, this rosemary chocolate chip loaf cake is by far the most excited I've ever been to share one of my cake recipes with y'all.

Not because the combination of chocolate and rosemary is spectacularly original (though it is undoubtedly unique), but because this is the first cake recipe I ever developed completely from scratch in one of my pastry school classes back in 2020.

With one sprig of fresh rosemary and almost a cup of mini chocolate chips, this special loaf cake is fresh and fragrant with just the right amount of bittersweet chocolate scattered throughout.

And the crunchy sweet sugar topping? Better than icing on a cake!

Chocolate Chip Cake... with Rosemary??

Yes! I know! It's a little unusual! But I hope you can trust me enough to try it because it's just so good.

I first learned how much I love the combination of rosemary and chocolate when I made Smitten Kitchen's Olive Oil Shortbread with Rosemary & Chocolate Chunks.

I've been borrowing that flavor combo ever since, which you can find in my other rosemary recipes, like this chocolate rosemary ice cream which is so good served with slices of this cake!

Rosemary gives a subtle herbal flavor that just pairs so well with the sweet chocolate chips.

During recipe testing, I sent about 6 versions of chocolate chip cake with rosemary to school with Jimmy for his colleagues in the teacher's lounge. It became such a hit that at least one teacher asked if I was selling them ahead of the holidays. How's that for high praise?

If you prefer a classic chocolate loaf cake, you'll want to check out my chocolate pound cake recipe. You can always add some minced rosemary to the butter and sugar in that recipe for a different take on a rosemary and chocolate cake combo!

Notes From Recipe Development

The fact that this is my first wholly original recipe doesn't mean that the cake recipes I shared before this aren't original; when it comes to baked goods, everything is based on ratios that you adapt and change to make your own. But with so many variables, I used to find cake recipes super intimidating to create.

So I was thrilled when we finally got into the recipe development portion of my pastry school classes. And knowing that there are basic formulas for most baked goods is so not the same as actually understanding how to use those formulas to create recipes from scratch.

To develop the recipe for this rosemary chocolate chip loaf cake, I had to use math. I know! But it was actually kind of fun. (Don't worry, you don't have to use math. I've done all the math for you.)

Basically, every cake recipe you've ever made follows some simple ratios. For example, in high-ratio butter cakes like pound cakes, the eggs and liquid should to be equal to the amount of sugar by weight. And the amount of flour can be less than or equal to the amount of sugar.

Within this set of ratios, each ingredient can be increased or decreased by about 20% to achieve your specific desired results, which is where recipe development comes in. The cake I made in class was my baseline, but then I took the recipe home and started adjusting those ratios.

For example, my class version of this recipe called for 5 large eggs — not a lot in a pastry school kitchen, but at home it's almost half a carton! So I decreased the amount of eggs, and added sour cream to the buttermilk to make sure that the liquid and egg content stayed equal to the amount of sugar.

The last change I made to this cake is by far my favorite (and also the least technical). A hefty sprinkle of sugar across the top before baking gives it a gloriously crisp, flaky crust that is so texturally satisfying with the soft cake underneath. (I used this same sugar topping technique in my lemon-blueberry pound cake recipe and it's so good there too.)

Ingredient Notes

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this rosemary chocolate chip pound cake! See the recipe card (at the end of the post) for quantities!

• Flour - Regular all purpose flour! Nothing fancy. I use King Arthur Baking company's all purpose flour.
• Sugar - Plain white granulated sugar.
• Butter - This recipe uses American style unsalted butter, not European butter. If using salted butter, cut the amount of added salt in the recipe in half.
• Fresh rosemary - One sprig of fresh rosemary, finely minced. It's about half a tablespoon of minced rosemary, depending on the size of your rosemary sprigs you may need more than one sprig!
• Eggs - I use large eggs in all my baking. A large egg weighs approximately 48 grams without the shell. If you're using another size egg, measure by weight to get an accurate amount!
• Buttermilk - Cultured buttermilk makes for tender cakes, helps activate the baking soda, and gives the cake a slightly tangy flavor.
• Sour cream - Full fat sour cream adds a lot of moisture to this cake, giving it a really soft and tender texture. We're really relying on the fat content in the sour cream to bring that tenderness, so don't try to use a low-fat sour cream here.
• Baking soda & Baking powder - These are the chemical leaveners that give this cake its rising power and soft texture.
• Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which half as salty as other brands. If measuring your salt by weight, you can use any type of salt. But if you're measuring by volume (e.g. teaspoons) and using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half.
• Mini chocolate chips - Mini chocolate chips are lighter than regular sized chocolate chips, which helps keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake as they bake. It also means more tiny pockets of chocolate scattered throughout the cake!

Instructions

This recipe uses the creaming method of mixing which I wrote about in detail in my vanilla pound cake recipe. If you're new to baking I recommend checking out that post for much more information and more tips for troubleshooting!

Be patient during the first step — beat the butter, sugar, and rosemary for at least 3 minutes at medium to medium-high speed.

This step is crucial for adding air into the batter which will help the cake rise. It also smears the oils from the rosemary leaves into the butter and sugar which infuses the cake with a ton of fresh rosemary flavor.

Scrape down the bowl and beater, making sure you're getting to any sneaky bits hiding at the bottom of the bowl, before you add the eggs.

Scrape down the bowl and beater. If it sounds like I'm repeating this instruction a lot, it's because I am. When in doubt — scrape it down!

With the mixer running on the lowest speed, slowly drizzle in the sour cream and buttermilk mixture. This should take you about 1 minute total, then let it mix for about 30-45 seconds more on low speed.

Mixing on low speed once you begin adding the flour and finishing by mixing the chocolate chips in by hand helps prevent overmixing and keeps your cake soft, moist, and tender!

Bake the cake in a 350°F oven for 60-65 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it.

Remove the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest in the pan for about 20 minutes. Then use the parchment sling to lift the cake out of the pan and onto the rack to finish cooling completely.

I know, I know it's hard to resist cutting the cake immediately but cooling gives the starches time to set up so the cake doesn't crumble apart or become gummy inside when you slice it. Let it cool before cutting — you'll be glad you did!

Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

• If you ignore the mise en place notes above and proceed without your ingredients at room temperature, they won't incorporate as nicely and your cake will come out flat and dense. It really is worth the few extra minutes to bring the butter, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature before you begin.
• Here are some buttermilk substitutes. My recommendation is to use buttermilk powder and whole milk instead of fully swapping for a different type of milk. Buttermilk substitutes aren't as good as using real buttermilk, but are definitely better than using regular milk as a substitute. Buttermilk is acidic and is necessary to activate the baking soda. Without the acidity, the baking soda has nowhere to go and will just hang around making your cake taste gross.
• For an extra punch of rosemary flavor, finely mince an additional sprig of rosemary and rub it into the sugar topping for the cake before sprinkling it on top.
• Baking soda and baking powder begin losing their potency after about 6 months. If you aren't sure when you bought yours, you may want to check that they're active or replace them before you begin!

Recipe FAQ

Can I use regular sized chocolate chips in this cake? You can, but they're more likely to sink to the bottom. You also don't get quite as nice distribute of chocolate throughout the cake when you use bigger chips. But if that's all you've got, by all means, go for it.

Can I used dried rosemary in this cake? I haven't tested this, so can't speak to exactly how it might change the flavor of the cake. If you want to give it a try, use half as much dried rosemary as the recipe calls for (about 1½ teaspoons) and I recommend mincing it before adding it to the cake.

📖 Recipe