This spiced Cardamom Cake is for all my cardamom lovers out there. It's the perfect amount of cardamom flavor so it’s not overwhelming but it’s definitely the star. Then topped with a citrusy orange buttercream frosting because citrus and cardamom compliment each other so perfectly. It's a great cake recipe for anytime – with your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or after dinner drink.
Ingredients
Classic baking ingredients plus a few fun additions make this simple cake really something special.
- Oil: any neutral oil (vegetable oil, canola oil) or even mild olive oil works.
- Milk: used in two parts of this recipe – to make the cake moist and to thin the buttercream. Whole milk is preferred, but 2% also works.
- Granulated sugar: classic white sugar.
- Eggs: two whole large eggs.
- Vanilla extract: rounds out flavor in baking, similar to salt in cooking.
- Flour: all purpose flour.
- Baking powder: the leavening agent.
- Ground cardamom: star of the show – a warm spice with citrusy notes. You can also use whole cardamom pods and use a spice grinder to grind it up yourself.
- Salt: kosher salt to balance the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: the base of the buttercream.
- Orange zest: to flavor the buttercream. If you want a more mild orange flavor you can use fresh orange juice instead, which can replace some of the milk. Blood oranges also work here.
How to make this cake
Full instructions with ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this month.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – oil, milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Whisk until just combined (or switch to a rubber spatula if you're worried about over mixing).
Pour the cake batter into a prepared pan either circle (8inch) or square (8x8 inch). Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream, use a stand mixer or hand mixer and whip room temperature butter on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in (on a low speed) the powdered sugar and orange zest until combined, mix in the milk, vanilla, and salt. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.
Once cooled completely, frost the cake.
Tips and tricks
- Room temperature ingredients – ensure your ingredients are at room temperature, it helps them combine more seamlessly resulting in a more even bake.
- Avoid over mixing your batter – it could lead to a dense cake.
- Prep your baking pan – use parchment paper and non-stick spray to make sure it won’t stick.
- Type of pan – I like to use a springform pan to easily release cakes. If you use a square baking pan leave some parchment paper hanging over the edges to help you pull the cake out when it's done.
- To make the batter – you can use a bowl and whisk, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Use a cake tester – baking time may vary depending on your oven, so its helpful to use a cake tester to see if the center of the cake is baked through – you’re looking for a few coarse crumbs when you pull it out of the cake, not wet batter.
- Use an oven thermometer – to ensure your oven is preheated properly and to avoid the risk of burning your cake before the center cooks through.
- Let the cake cool completely before adding frosting – otherwise the butter in the frosting will melt and you’ll have a drippy mess.
Storage
- Store leftover cardamom cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or at room temperature for up to 3 days.
FAQs
It's a mild, floral spice with a hint of brightness from citrus. It is rather strong so use it sparingly if you’re newer to it and not sure if you like it.
I wouldn’t, because buttermilk is acidic and therefore will react with the leavening agent differently, and I haven’t tested the cake that way.
Absolutely not! If you omit the buttercream, I’d recommend sprinkling dusting of powdered sugar (aka confectioners' sugar) and some orange zest over the top of the cake or making a simple whipped cream topping.
I’d suggest cinnamon, but the flavor of the cake will be very different as it relies on cardamom for the majority of the flavor.
📖 Recipe
Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the frosting
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients – oil, milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Whisk until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared pan either circle (8inch) or square (8x8 inch).
- Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the buttercream, use a stand mixer or hand mixer and whip room temperature butter on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in (on a low speed) the powdered sugar and orange zest until combined, mix in the milk, vanilla, and salt. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.
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