Heaven does exist, and it has cardamom in it. I call it cardamom-almond cake. One of the best cardamom cakes I’ve baked. And it’s so much easier than it looks!
Let me be honest: any occasion that brings some joy and light into these gloomy, I-can’t-decide-if-it’s monsoon-or-not days is more than welcome.
So, with Indian festivities around the corner, I was excited to bake this incredibly moist almond cake.
With nutty goodness, gooey jaggery, and floral cardamom, the eggless cardamom almond cake is just palate-perfect for Raksha Bandhan, Teej, or Ganesh Chaturthi.
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WHY TRY THIS ALMOND TEA CAKE RECIPE?
The soft cardamom cake recipe will inspire, excite, bring joy, and make you smile. I promise.
It’s a wonderful cardamom dessert for any occasion but for Indian festivals it fits to the tee.
Everyone will enjoy the almond tea cake with gusto.
HOW TO MAKE CARDAMOM ALMOND CAKE?
Step 1: Sift together the flours, baking powder, cardamom, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.
Step 2: Add jaggery powder and stir that in well.
Step 3: In a different bowl, mix yogurt, oil, and almond extract.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until all the dry streaks disappear. You’re not overmixing.
Step 5: Transfer the thick-ish almond cardamom cake batter into a well-greased 6-inch tin.
Step 6: Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached (about 30 to 35 mins).
Step 7: Let it cool in the tin and then transfer it to a wire rack.
Final step: Slice, serve, and let the deliciousness of almond cake with cardamom reign supreme!
SERVING THE SOFT ALMOND CAKE
There is just something about almonds, cardamom, and jaggery coming together that gives it tons of flavor. Earthy, sweet, and nutty—you'll be absolutely smitten with it.
So, you don’t have to serve the cardamom tea cake with anything.
But hold your horses, dessert lovers, and channel your inner cake whisperer. Dust it with icing sugar or dress it up with a cardamom glaze, like I did.
GARNISH WITH CARDAMOM ICING
There really is nothing wrong with serving this cardamom-almond tea cake as-is. But I wanted to give the cake a red carpet moment, making it as stunning as it deserves.
- Mix a few teaspoons of milk with icing sugar, drops of almond extract, cardamom powder, and a hint of matcha powder.
The operative word is "hint." We’re not making a dessert with matcha. We’re using the grassy powder to flaunt its pale pistachio-green vibe to signify it’s a cardamom cake.
- Pour the thick matcha icing over the cake.
- Immediately top it with pomegranate arils and toasted almond flakes because the glaze sets really quickly.
MY NOTES ON CARDAMOM CAKE RECIPES
- Don’t get whisk-happy, in other words, please don't over-mix the batter.
- Jaggery has a flair for clumping. Don’t be perturbed by them, as they create these lovely gooey pockets in the cake crumb that totally floor you!
- You don’t want the almond flour tea cake flavor to be camouflaged by matcha. Just a touch is all it takes. We are using it here only for color.
- The icing sets blazingly fast, so if you plan to dress up the cake, keep all your toppings handy.
- Press the toppings down (very, very gently) so they stick to the cake.
IS THIS A MAKE-AHEAD CAKE RECIPE?
Yes, 100%!
Cling Wrap the almond cardamom cake after it’s cooled on the wire rack and slide it into the fridge. Whenever you’re ready to serve, bring it back to room temperature, glaze, cut, and serve.
EASY ALMOND CAKE RECIPE SWAPS
Flour: Whole wheat works like a dream instead of all-purpose.
No almond flour? Grind almonds at home as finely as you can. The texture will be grittier, but the cardamom-almond tea cake will still be delicious.
Cardamom: It’s the shining star of all cardamom cakes. Make sure to grind it fresh.
Can’t be bothered? Use store-bought – the best quality you can get.
Jaggery: I don’t use it much in cakes, but it worked beautifully. Not overly sweet, with a deep caramelly flavor.
Caster, cane, or coconut sugar are great substitutes. The cake's taste will be different but nonetheless scrumptious. And the color will be lighter.
Greek yogurt: use homemade and strained. Make sure it’s thick.
Almond extract: Don’t use almond flavoring. Get a good quality extract. A little goes a long way, and it lasts a long time if stored properly, so it’s worth the investment.
Coconut Oil: Any neutral-tasting vegetable oil.
Matcha: Use food coloring.
VEGAN RECIPE FOR CARDAMOM CAKE
Use plant-based milk in the glaze and plant-based yogurt in the cake batter.
MORE DESSERT RECIPES WITH CARDAMOM
Nankhatai | Eggless Cardamom Cookies
Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others, which is why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead and drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this cardamom almond cake as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Cardamom Almond Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 125 gms All-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup / 70 gms Almond flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1/2 cup / 70 gms Jaggery powder
- 3/4 cup / 190 gms Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup / 65 gms Coconut oil You can also use neutral tasting vegetable oil.
- 1/2 tsp Almond extract
Cardamom Glaze
- 1/4 cup / 32 gms Icing sugar
- 2-3 tsp Milk
- 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
- 3-4 drops Almond extract
- 1/4 tsp Matcha powder or green food color Optional as this is only for color
Toppings
- Toasted almond flakes, Pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 6" cake tin.
- Sift the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Whisk in the jaggery powder.
- In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, coconut oil, and almond extract.
- Pour over the dry ingredients and gently mix. Do not overmix.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning it out on a cooling rack.
- Pour the glaze over the completely cooled cake. Top with toasted almond flakes and pomegranate arils.
- Slice and serve. Enjoy!
Cardamom Glaze
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, until you get a smooth, thick mixture.
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