Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes with Olive Oil Gelato

The first time I encountered olive oil cake was at Capezzana, an olive oil– and wine-producing estate in Tuscany. Olive oil cake was the house cook’s signature morning dessert. I had never heard of such a thing and it sounded strange to me, but when I took a bite, it made perfect sense. It was a very simple sponge-type cake in which the butter had been replaced by olive oil, and it was delicious. Since it’s all about the olive oil, the better the quality, the better the cake. For drizzling over the gelato, this is the time to bring out the best olive oil you have—and use olio nuovo when it’s in season. We bake the batter in tiny teacake molds, which means more surface area—and the slightly crispy exterior is my favorite part. The teacake molds we use are sold in a pan, like a muffin tin, at cookware shops. Alternatively, you could use individual teacake molds. This batter keeps well, and you’ll have plenty of olive oil ice cream, so double the recipe to feed a crowd or if you think you might want to bake more later in the week. We serve the cakes with Olive Oil Gelato, which is equally unusual and delicious.