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I’ve got a serious soft spot for cardamom cake, and I’ll admit—being Lebanese, a love for cardamom is practically in my DNA! This warm, fragrant spice takes me right back to my roots, and I love how it adds something special to both sweet and savory dishes. But this cardamom cake? It’s hands down one of my favorite ways to use cardamom because it’s just so simple and so good.
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This recipe was part of our monthly Cooking Challenge for October 2024!
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: Middle Eastern
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Key Flavor: Warm, aromatic cardamom with bright lemon notes
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Unique flavor twist: Cardamom brings a warm, spiced flavor that’s different from your usual cake recipes.
- Simple ingredients: This cake comes together with pantry staples, plus a few fresh ingredients like lemons and Greek yogurt.
- Great make-ahead dessert: It stays moist for days, making it perfect for prepping ahead of time for gatherings or weekday treats.
Ingredients to Make a Cardamom Cake
- Cardamom: You can find ground cardamom in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
- Olive oil: Use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. It adds moisture without being heavy and gives a subtle richness to the cake.
- Greek yogurt: I recommend full-fat Greek yogurt for a richer texture, but if you’re looking to lighten it up, a lower-fat version works too. Just make sure it’s at room temperature for easier mixing.
- Lemon zest & juice: Fresh lemon zest and juice brighten up the flavor and balance the sweetness.
- Brown sugar & sliced almond topping: The brown sugar caramelizes as the cake bakes, and the sliced almonds add a crunchy texture that’s a nice contrast to the soft cake.
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt: The usual baking suspects that create structure and help the cake rise. If you can, use aluminium-free baking powder for the best flavor.
- Eggs: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature for easier mixing and a fluffier cake.
- Powdered sugar & cardamom (optional): A dusting of powdered sugar mixed with a bit of cardamom on top is optional, but it’s a nice final touch that adds sweetness and a little extra flavor.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Swap Greek yogurt: If you don’t have Greek yogurt, sour cream works just as well. It’ll still keep the cake moist with a slightly tangy flavor.
- Try a different oil: While olive oil adds a nice richness, you can use vegetable or canola oil if that’s what you have on hand. Just note that the flavor will be a bit more neutral.
- Change up the nuts: Not a fan of almonds? No problem! You can swap them with chopped pistachios or even pecans for a different crunchy topping.
- Make it dairy-free: Substitute the Greek yogurt with a non-dairy alternative, like coconut or almond yogurt, to make the cake dairy-free. Just make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Add a glaze: If you want to take it up a notch, a lemon glaze would be a great addition. Just mix powdered sugar with lemon juice and drizzle on top once the cake cools. For more help, please visit my post on how to make glaze.
- Mix in some additional spices: If you love warm spices, add a little cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter for an extra cozy flavor twist. You can even use pumpkin pie spice.
How to Make a Cardamom Cake
Grab a bowl and a cake pan, and let’s get baking!
Tips for Making the Best Cardamom Cake
- Use Fresh Ground Cardamom: Cardamom can lose its flavor over time, so if you want the best possible flavor, try grinding your own cardamom from the pods. It makes a big difference!
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your eggs and Greek yogurt are at room temperature before you start mixing. This helps the batter come together smoothly and ensures even baking.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you’ve added the wet ingredients to the dry, mix just until there are no more streaks of flour. Overmixing can make the cake dense instead of light and tender.
- Flip the Cake with Care: When flipping the cake out of the pan to reveal the almond topping, make sure it has cooled for at least 20 minutes. This allows the topping to set and helps prevent sticking.
What to Serve With your Cardamom Cake
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
- Powdered sugar
- Strawberry Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
To store a cardamom cake, let it cool completely before wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap or placing it in an airtight container. You can keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate it, and it will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
If you want to freeze the cake, wrap it in plastic wrap and then foil, or place it in a freezer-safe bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Make sure to spray your cake pan generously with cooking spray before adding the brown sugar and almond topping. You can also line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for added insurance to prevent sticking.
This can happen if you open the oven door too early in the baking process or if the batter was overmixed, causing too much air to be incorporated. Stick to the suggested mixing times, and avoid peeking until the cake is almost done.
More Cake Recipes:
- Chocolate Cake
- Orange Cake
- Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Zest
- Chocolate Souffle
- Cranberry Cheesecake
- Lemon and Ricotta Cake
- Almond Flour Cake
- Semolina Turmeric Cake
- Angel Food Cake
If you try this feel good Cardamom Cake recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
Topping
- Cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Cake batter
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For serving, optional
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly coat a 9” round cake pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with brown sugar and evenly scatter the sliced almonds. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Create a well in the flour mixture and add the olive oil, Greek yogurt, eggs, lemon zest and juice. Whisk into the flour mixture until just combined and no flour streaks remain.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.
- Carefully flip the cake onto a serving plate, almond side up. Combine the powdered sugar and ground cardamom and dust over the cake before serving, if desired.
Equipment
- Round 9" Cake Pan
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Made this with gluten-free flour to serve at a family event for breakfast, and it was a huge hit– was completely devoured by everyone passing by and taking “just a tiny sliver” on repeat. Some compared it to a lemon poppyseed cake, but those with a taste for cardamom loved how the flavor came through. I will say, though, I think Yumna is right– fresh-ground cardamom is worth it. I didn’t have cardamom pods so I used pre-ground, and the fragrance faded from the bake pretty quickly. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Amazing!! Aww, sounds it was a big hit. So happy everyone loved it!! Thank you!
I made this lovely cake as a birthday present for a friend who absolutely loves cardamom. She said it was utterly delicious and asked for the recipe 🙂 the cake has a great texture and is so fragrant. Such a great recipe, thank you for sharing it!!!
Aww, thank you so much!! So happy your friend loved the cake, I hope she had a wonderful birthday!!
Hello,
I wanted to send this cake to my sister in Miami for her birthday.
Is it ok for shipping?
Or if you have any other recipes you think are ok for shipping.
Thank you
So sorry, I’ve never shipped a homemade cake before so I’m not sure how it would hold up!
Delicious! The perfect fall sweet treat! The almonds add the perfect crunch and the cake is moist and soft! I’m already planning on making this for Thanksgiving
Aww, love that! I hope everyone at your Thanksgiving table enjoys it!! Thanks, Jenna!
Spectacular! Perfect pairing for coffee! A cake that’s so easy to make is what we call a keeper! 😉
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you!!
What a delicious cake and it was so easy to make! Such a surprising taste, I thought the cardamom will be strong but amazing the balance it gets with the lemon taste. I used neutral flavored rapeseed oil instead.
All in all: a hit according to my better half ☺️
Yay!! Thanks so much, Ana! So happy you and your partner loved it!
Delish! I did what I hate others doing when they rate a recipe…I made a change. But I think it would be a 5 even without the change. I put a thin layer of apple butter on the bottom after I cooked it and removed from the pan. It was a birthday cake for someone with a fondness for apples. Great pairing.
Yum, apple butter sounds so good!! Thanks for the inspiration! So happy you loved the cake!!
I really enjoyed this but I also made a simple syrup with cardamom and sugar and did a light brush to enhance the cardamom flavour and it worked out lovely. Will make again and may add more spices too.
Yum, love that! Your simple syrup sounds so good!! Thanks for sharing, Shai!