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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.
Table of Contents
This recipe is part of our monthly Cooking Challenge for September 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!
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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
- Zest of one lemon
- 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.
It’s really good and delicious also it’s so moist 🌹I love it
Yay, so happy you love it! Thank you, Jeefe!!
This was an excellent cake! It was lightly sweet and is great with coffee. Recommended!!
Aww, thank you so much!! I love having it with coffee too, such a great pairing! So happy you liked it, Amy!!
So easy and so delicious! Will definitely make again
Yay! Thanks, Julie!!
Can I use almond flour instead of flour?
So sorry, I haven’t used almond flour with this recipe yet. Please let me know how it works out if you end up trying it!
This was one of my favorite dessert I have made with cardamon and olive oil … even my kids loved it. I served it with fresh berries and homemade vanilla chantilly (whipped cream). It was very delicious. The cake is very moist and not too sweet. Thank you!
Yay, I’m so happy you and your kids loved it! Vanilla chantilly sounds yummy, what a great topping!
I just tried this yesterday and OMG! This is one of my favorite cakes partly because I’m a fan of almonds in baking and because I love the olive oil cake recipe you have too. It is so moist and fluffy even when I made it gluten free.
Aww, that makes me so happy!! Thank you, Belle! I’m so glad to hear it worked well as a gluten-free recipe, what type of flour did you use?
I used a 1:1 homemade GF flour mix.
Wow!!! Just wow!! 🤩💕🎉
Aww, yay!! So happy you liked it!!
Cardamom is a very dear and loved spice in India as well. I use it for cooking savory dishes, chai, and Indian desserts. I have never used it in cakes! I love this recipe and look forward to adding cashews in place of almonds
Yum, cashews sound like a great substitution! Excited for you to try the recipe, I hope you like it!!
I love when I can recognize all the ingredients in a recipe! This cake looks delicious and perfect for fall!
Yay! Yes, it is perfect for fall. I’m excited for you to try it!
Looks and sounds like perfection. I had a cardamom flavored cake at Restaurant August in New Orleans once, served with black pepper ice cream. Unimaginably delicious!
Oh wow, that sounds absolutely incredible!! Black pepper ice cream is such an interesting pairing, I bet it was delicious. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
OMG… I love cardamon so I had to try this recipe! The cake came out perfectly yummy (so good, lol!). I wasn’t sure if I should use vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt and I don’t know if it helped or not but the cake had a perfect balance of sweet and spice. And yes, it is very moist (I love desserts with olive oil). Thank you for another great recipe that didn’t disappoint!!
Yay, thank you so much!! So happy you loved it! I’m sure the vanilla Greek yogurt gave it a lovely flavor. Sounds so good!!
Hello, can I use almond flour in place of regular flour? Thank you
Hi there! I haven’t tried making this cake using almond flour, so sorry! Please let me know how it turns out if you end up trying it.
Will definitely try today – yesterday I made the date cake but used gluten-free flour – came out excellent, thanks
I hope you enjoy it!
This cake was so rich and moist. My kids loved it 😁❤️ thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
You’re welcome, Anum! So happy your kids loved it!!
Absolutely delicious! I love cardamom and rarely find recipes for baked goods with it so when this cake popped on my radar, I had to make it right away. Thank you, Yumna.
You’re so welcome, Aishwarya! Cardamom is a favorite of mine, too. So happy you liked the cake!!
This looks good. Is the cardamom an overwhelming flavor?
Can I know the quantities of each ingredient to make this delicious cardamom cake?
You can find the full list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card! Click ‘jump to recipe’ at the top of the page or scroll down to the bottom of the post (right above the comments). Hope you enjoy!!
Thank you so much