Rosemary – The dessert herb?

It is easy to get in a cooking rut.
Making a savory dish? Reach for parsley, rosemary, thyme or basil.
Making dessert? Go for mint or lemon verbena.
There are a few notable crossovers, such as mint in Greek dishes. But what about rosemary? In a cake?
As unorthodox as it may sound, this recipe will have you swooning. And looking at rosemary in a whole new light.

Rosemary Orange Bundt Cake with Rum Glaze

1 (2-layer) package yellow cake mix
1 small package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 orange, zested
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup pecans (optional)

Glaze (recipe follows)

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, rosemary and orange zest in a large bowl. Add water, oil and rum. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Stir in pecans. Pour into a bundt baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until baked through.

Pour glaze over cake while still in pan, allowing glaze to soak in before removing cake from pan. Invert cake onto serving plate so that the glazed top is facing up.

Rum glaze

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 water or orange juice
1/4 cup rum

Bring the four ingredients to soft-boil stage in a saucepan. (235 degrees on candy thermometer.)

Recipe adapted from Along The Garden Path by Fredericksburg Herb Farm
Allergy information:
I have made this using both regular cake mix and gluten-free cake mix. I have not made this egg or dairy free. Pecans are optional. I do prefer the added texture of the pecans, but my spouse hates pecans and my son is allergic to them. Photos on the blog are gluten and pecan free.