You’ll love this rhubarb cardamom cake. It’s wonderfully fragrant with the sweet scent of cardamom. The cake is studded with bits of tart rhubarb and crunchy cardamom seeds. Lightly dusted with sugar and topped with sliced almonds, this is a delicious combination of textures and flavors.
When I read (in this Food52 post) that Alice Waters said the original cardamom cake recipe was the one recipe that she couldn’t live without, my interest was piqued. The fact that the cake featured cardamom ensured that I would be making it right away. Cardamom is one of my favorite flavors. The original recipe is from Niloufer Ichaporia King and you can find it in her cookbook My Bombay Kitchen.
My rhubarb was ready to be harvested and rhubarb and cardamom go well together. Did I dare take one more step with this recipe? I gave it a try and it was perfect!
If you don’t have rhubarb, make this cake without it and you’ll have the original cake. I’ll be making it both ways.
This recipe makes about 8 servings.
Tips
- You can purchase cardamom seeds out of the pod. If you have them in the pod, pull apart the pod and remove the seeds.
- The directions tell you to use a mortar and pestle to bruise the cardamom seeds. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can carefully press the cardamom seeds on a cutting board with the side of a large knife, rolling them around under the blade. You don’t want to crush them. You’re just trying to bring out the flavor.
Special Equipment
You’ll need a 9-inch springform pan. If you are like me and find yourself with an 8 1/2-inch pan or a 9 1/2-pan, note that you’ll need to adjust the cooking time. You’ll need more time for the smaller pan, because the cake is thicker, and a little less time for the larger pan, because the cake is thinner.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups sugar, and extra for the pan
- 1 cup sliced almonds, for the topping (optional)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 tablespoon cardamom seeds (removed from the pod)
- 1 cup rhubarb, stems sliced and chopped into small pieces (about 1/4 inch cubes)
Directions
Prepare the springform pan. Butter the bottom and sides of the pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with a circular piece of parchment paper and butter the paper. Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the pan and tip the pan this way and that, until the bottom and sides are completely coated with sugar. Turn the pan upside down over the sink, so that extra sugar falls out. Layer the sliced almonds over the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside.
Put the cardamom seeds into a mortar and gently bruise them with a pestle.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt the butter.
Using a mixer (or a very strong arm), blend the eggs and sugar until thick and pale (about 5 minutes).
Fold the flour and salt into the egg mixture. Then fold in the butter and cardamom seeds. Fold in the rhubarb.
Scoop the batter into the prepared springform pan. Tap the pan onto the countertop to get any air bubbles out of it.
Bake the cake until it is golden on top and a skewer inserted into it comes out clean (about 35 minutes). Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and carefully remove the bottom of the pan (and parchment paper). Be sure to do this while the cake is still very warm. Let the cake cool before serving.
You can serve this cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. It’s also delicious on its own.
Related Topics
It’s rhubarb season! You might like these recipes.