Rosemary Olive Oil and Orange Remembrance Cake

Warmly fragrant with light, citrusy notes, this moist and tender loaf could feature with simple elegance on a holiday table, lift winter with a little brightness, or satisfy on any occasion you crave it—but it was made for remembrance most of all. Famously named by Ophelia in Hamlet, woodsy Rosemary is associated both with honoring the dead and with memory and recall. Baking this cake, it’s easy to see why.

I actually made this in memory of our sweet senior dog, to whom we had to say goodbye last month. Weeks on, life has returned to its usual pace, but the ache still gnaws and sometimes startles. Maybe it would have been a more appropriate tribute to make something our pup himself could have eaten, like homemade dog biscuits for neighboring pets. But I wanted something poignant, something to engage the senses and gently enfold us in our sorrow. When you find you could use this kind of care too, know, Rosemary delivers.

I didn’t know whether there was such a thing as a “Rosemary Remembrance Cake” but I figured googling turns up something for every search these days, and mine landed me on a recipe by the one and only Nigella Lawson. Her loaf was enchanting: stunning in its simplicity, and decorated with one long sprig of rosemary. I took the image as inspiration and made my own vegan version, opting for citrus and olive oil instead of butter and apples, but keeping the infusion of rosemary in the bake while laying along sprig on the top.

I expect it might seem silly to some to dedicate a bake like this to a pet. But while not everyone relates in the same way to the loss of a dog, I hope that everyone has something that teaches just how much love transcends everything. Pets are family, but more than that—they’re fur babies, first babies, best of friends, soul guides, empaths, companions. They’re as pure and unconditional love as love can be. Riley was all of these, ever determined to comfort and protect us even in his suffering those final days, to his very last breath.

I won’t ramble on about all the details of our journey with Riley in this post about a cake. That would take too long. But I do want to leave it here that I always truly believed he was a gift from my late grandmother, his surrender date to the humane society being on her birthday the year she passed. Like her, he attentively listened to me play the piano, without fail, whenever I caught a moment to do so. He was a particular little dog, preferring his cushions and comforts, but whenever the keys were struck, he would trot right over, patiently taking his place behind me on the floor if need be, just listening.

Despite his own traumatic puppy mill beginnings, Riley brought light and joy into our lives that opened up infinite pathways of love and open-heartedness. There were so many things, countless moments and memories that I would do anything to hold onto. Baking this loaf, with rosemary aromas wafting through the house, I felt the collective resonance of all our time together, and felt such comfort. Grief, but so much gratitude.

The more love we open up to, the more we have to grieve. I guess that’s one of life’s clearest and hardest truths, isn’t it? It seems one of our tasks to steadily learn to make sense of the ways that grief evolves but doesn’t go away. Certainly it takes a lot more work than simply baking a cake to process, anything. But, this one small thing is something, and it’s pretty wonderful. Inviting, heady with fragrance that naturally invokes the most tender, loving memories. Let me know if you give it a try. Wishing you peace!

We love you, Riley, forever and always.

Rosemary Orange Remembrance Loaf Cake

¾ cup almond milk
¾ Cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons orange zest
1 small and 1 large sprig rosemary
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup monkfruit sugar
¼ cup olive oil
¼ Cup plain unsweetened plant yogurt (or extra oil or applesauce)
2 cups flour
2 Teaspoons baking powder
½ Teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt


Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the center. Prepare a loaf tin with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, warm the plant milk, orange juice, zest, and small sprig of rosemary on low heat, about 5 minutes. Remove the rosemary and stir in the vanilla, monkfruit sugar, and oil. Let cool while preparing the next step.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid mixture and stir to form a smooth batter.

Pour into the loaf tin and lay the longer rosemary sprig over the top. Bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cool.

Serve as is, or drizzle/top with a light orange glaze made from powdered coconut sugar and fresh orange juice.