It’s bit a spicy week over here and I’m keeping it going with this spiced cardamom coffee cake.
Have I ever told you that cardamom is my favorite spice? I like how it can swing both ways from sweet to spicy (spicy like in this week’s lamb bowl). Sweet like this cake or these marshmallows.
And since this is the season of full flavors, I’m embracing my favorite one. Just in time for those holidays coming up.
I got the idea of this cake for one I saw at a local bakery. It’s a delicious twist on a classic sour cream coffee cake and for it, I used my mom’s recipe for that as a base. However, it’s got a South Asian vibe.
The crumbly cinnamon swirl is where things get spicy. I kept the cinnamon, and added a bunch of other flavors and textures: Cardamom, as mentioned. Cloves. Ginger. Coconut. Fennel. Pistachios. All and only the good stuff.
Because I’m a party of one, I also wanted to keep it small. For me to make a whole cake it would take me weeks. No joke. I cut the recipe in half and baked it up in a loaf pan, sugared as we do over here. Double this recipe if you want a traditional look.
It’s just that kind of cake that you’ll leave on the counter and that everyone will cut a chunk off of as they walk by and before you know it, a few days later, the cake is gone.
Oh, and you just might have a little bit of the cinnamon sugar mixture left. I’ve been eating on my oatmeal in the morning and it’s heaven in a bowl and a great way to start any day.
Spiced Cardamom Coffee Cake
Spiced cardamom coffee cake is a twist on a traditional sour cream coffee cake with South Asian vibes - full of rich spices and textures that will make it your go-to coffee cake.
Ingredients
- For the cake:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 cup full fat sour cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Topping:
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground fennel
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Step 2 Lightly grease a tube or spring-form pan and coat with sugar.
- Step 3 In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
- Step 4 In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Step 5 Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Pour half of the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.
- Step 6 To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugars,spices, and nuts, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle half of the topping over the first half of the batter, add the remaining batter and then sprinkle with remaining topping.
- Step 7 Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean and set, 40 to 45 minutes
- Step 8 Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
