Cardamom Cake

Scandinavians call this a coffee cake though this is bit misleading as it contains no coffee rather intended to be eaten with a cup of coffee. Scandinavians love the flavour of cardamom in sweets and dessert. This recipe elevates what could have been a plain sponge cake to a tender perfumed delight.

Origin: Sweden
Serves:12
Preparation time:20mins
Cooking time: 45-50mins
Level of Difficulty: Easy

2 tsps – seeds only Green Cardamom pods, organic
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon, organic
10 petit lu biscuits/6 digestive biscuits
225g flour
1 tsp baking soda
200g sugar
110g unsalted butter
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
Confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 170C.
Grease a 22cm cake pan well with butter. Crush the biscuits in a ziploc bag until quite even crushed. Dust the cake tin with the crumbs, by rolling around the tin and then set aside.

Combine flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Crush the cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar.
Place sugar and soft butter unto the bowl of electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, for about 5 minutes total. Beat in the cardamom and the cinnamon. Add flour mixture, beat until just combined. Add sour cream and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter into pan and smooth.
Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes in cooling rack, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar and serving.