Coffee Cardamom Cake + Coffee Buttercream

Coffee Cardamom Cake

• 12 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temp, and extra for cake pans
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temp
• 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules
• 1 1/4 cup whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Crush cardamom pods to remove seeds with mortar and pestle. Remove pods from mortar and continue to crush just the seeds.
3. Sift together drys (including ground cardamom seeds) in a bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl beat together butter and sugar for three minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
5. Dissolve espresso or coffee into the milk.
6. Alternate adding drys and milk into the butter, sugar, egg mixture. Start and end with drys.
7. Evenly divide the batter between two buttered and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Bake for about 30 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool and remove from pans. Once cooled completely, decorate with coffee buttercream (recipe follows).

Coffee Buttercream

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 12 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules

1. Make this buttercream as the Coffee Cardamom Cake is baking or cooling. In a double boiler whisk together egg whites, sugar, and coffee granules until all the sugar granules are dissolved. You can test this by touching the egg whites between your thumb and pointer finger and feel for any remaining sugar granules. The coffee granules should dissolve at this point as well.
2. Once all the sugar is dissolved remove the top bowl and whisk with a hand mixer, or transfer everything to a KitchenAid with the whisk attachment). Whisk to stiff peaks.
3. Add butter a few tablespoons at a time while the mixer is going. It may start to look like it is breaking or curdling, but just continue to beat the mixture, it will come together into a smooth buttercream.
4. Decorate the Coffee Cardamom Cake with this Coffee Buttercream in any way you wish!