Almond Cardamom Cake is here to ring in the weekend AND spring (albeit rather early).
Despite the fact that it’s snowing here in Minneapolis – and is supposed to continue to do so all weekend – I’m 100% all about spring. The sun is rising earlier and staying out just a little bit longer every day, which is the BEST FEELING EVER. I literally get giddy every time I see those little rays of sunshine anytime after 5:00. Almost as giddy as I get while eating a slice of Almond Cardamom Cake.
This cake is definitely helping to cure my spring fever because it’s is the perfect spring dessert! Spring for me means lighter foods, still full of comfort, and not skimping on flavor in the least.
Spring recipes also have to be perfect for spring events – like brunches and afternoon tea with friends. Especially ones that involve a lot of laughs, and heartfelt conversations to inspire growth, closeness, and vulnerability.
And really, what’s better at inspiring growth and stimulating conversation than sharing a slice of moist, light, soul-warming Almond Cardamom Cake with your best friends as the sun shines through the windows? I’d say just about nothing, because I love bonding with friends over food and having soulful conversations.
The world has been heavy lately. I haven’t processed enough of it to even begin to open up, and this is a food blog after all, but it feels necessary to say we still have a lot of work to do. Let’s discuss, let’s be heard, and let’s do it all over a piece of Almond Cardamom Cake to lighten things up a bit.
I’m loving almond desserts these days – especially almond cakes. It’s something about the rich, buttery flavor that shines through and leaves me feeling on top of the world. This light, moist cake has all the rich, buttery flavor with a little cardamom to add a complex and distinct taste. It’s not overpowering in the cake, there’s just enough to give a bit of “je ne sais quoi” to the cake’s flavor.
It’s not just the flavor…it’s the texture, too! This cake is somehow a balance of light and dense; it’s thick but not a dry, heavy cake. It’s light, moist, and it melts-in-your-mouth with each and every bite.
All of this, my friends, pairs perfectly with coffee or tea. I mean, ok, or wine because what dessert doesn’t go amazingly with wine?! It’s best served slightly warm from the oven, so I’d actually recommend whipping it up closer to serving time. That being said, it really is amazing the next morning for breakfast. With coffee. Not that I’d know or anything…
But really – if I had to pick one cake to have for breakfast – er – I mean, dessert, with my coffee, it would be this Almond Cardamom Cake.
Get the Recipe Almond Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
- 7 ounces almond paste
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- Powdered sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a parchment round in the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan and grease the sides slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together almond paste and softened butter for 2-3 minutes until fully combined. Add sugar and continue beating, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary. Add the eggs slowly, one at a time, slowly mixing between each addition. Add flour and cardamom, stirring until just combined.
- Spread evenly in cake pan and sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Bake for 32-35 minutes until edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool slightly and remove from pan. Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the cake. Highly recommended to serve slightly warm!
Spring coming soon is literally making me feel ALL GIDDY too! Those couple of sneak peeks of warm weather we’ve had these past few weeks have had me all smiles 🙂 This cake is so perfect for spring! I can totally picture this at an Easter brunch!
Oh my goodness, I know! It looks like DC has been nicer to you than MN has to me – so sick of this snow!
Hi! When did you add the sliced almonds? Also, do you use pre-ground cardomon?
Hi Tina! Add the sliced almonds on the top of the batter, just before baking (and thanks for the realization that I left that out :)). I do use ground cardamom. I’d love to hear what you think if you make it – enjoy!
This is such an amazing recipe. I added orange zest along with the cardamom. I added the almonds and sugar to the bottom and I added more almonds on top. I now make this almost weekly. I think this tastes even better out of the fridge.
Yummy! Thanks so much for sharing, and leaving your review, Natalie!!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but the middle of the cake is not cooked at all. I put it back in oven for another 10 minutes past the recommended amount of time and still, it is raw. I used the exact size baking pan and followed the instructions. What did I do wrong?
Hi Frances – I’m so sorry you had this experience. I retested the cake again tonight as written to see if I could troubleshoot and to check the recipe (again). I’m not sure why the cake would still be raw; do you have an oven thermometer? Sometimes the temperatures can vary depending on the oven. The cake is a very moist cake and therefore the texture is a bit different than a traditional cake. I’d love to hear if you tried it again with an oven thermometer and had better results. I also recommend testing the internal temperature of the cake for doneness – which should be around 192-196°F. Let me know if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to help you continue to troubleshoot.
What?! You re-made the recipe because of me? That is SO SWEET! Ok I’m a dummy amateur baker but I forgot a key piece of information: I made my almond paste from scratch. I suspect – no, I KNOW – this is why my cake didn’t turn out properly. I’m so sorry! ? I will purchase almond paste and remake this and report back.
P.S. I cut out the middle uncooked portion of the cake with a biscuit cutter and my husband ate almost the entire rest of it. He had no idea anything was awry, just thought it was a “special ring cake”. ?
No worries at all, Frances! I love that it gave me an excuse to make the cake 🙂 and I always want to make sure the recipes work out, so anything I can do to check is worth it. Making your own almond paste is next level! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out next time… I’m so glad your husband liked as a special ring cake anyway 😉