Make Ahead

Coffee Cardamom Cake + Coffee Buttercream

January 28, 2011
4
1 Ratings
  • Serves 10
Author Notes

Flavor combination inspired by living in London. —gastroanthropologist

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Coffee Cardamom Cake
  • 12 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups 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 cups sugar
  • 4 large eggs, room temp
  • 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • Coffee Buttercream
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 12 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules
Directions
  1. Coffee Cardamom Cake
  2. Preheat oven to 350F.
  3. Crush cardamom pods to remove seeds with mortar and pestle. Remove pods from mortar and continue to crush just the seeds.
  4. Sift together drys (including ground cardamom seeds) in a bowl and set aside.
  5. In a separate bowl beat together butter and sugar for three minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
  6. Dissolve espresso or coffee into the milk.
  7. Alternate adding drys and milk into the butter, sugar, egg mixture. Start and end with drys.
  8. 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).
  1. Coffee Buttercream
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Decorate the Coffee Cardamom Cake with this Coffee Buttercream in any way you wish!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • makingdinner
    makingdinner
  • NakedBeet
    NakedBeet
  • Hilarybee
    Hilarybee
  • Lizthechef
    Lizthechef
  • Sundayinthekitchen
    Sundayinthekitchen

15 Reviews

cmhgmantsch February 21, 2022
Delicious! Will definitely make again
 
makingdinner August 29, 2013
I made this and it was amazing.
 
JoyJoy July 21, 2013
Made the coffee icing to top a chocolate cake - delicious. Used "Just Whites" reconstituted for the egg whites (ran out of eggs at home) and it worked just fine. This is a tasty, smooth and silky icing. Thanks for sharing.
 
shinanigans December 22, 2012
Hi, would I use the same amount of espresso powder as coffee powder as it says in the recipe, or should I half the amount for espresso? Thank you!
 
gastroanthropologist December 23, 2012
Yes!
 
NakedBeet July 17, 2012
This sounds incredible, saving it!
 
Hilarybee February 1, 2011
This looks great- the perfect birthday cake.
 
Lizthechef January 31, 2011
I'd like a piece of this right this instant - lovely photo too!
 
Sundayinthekitchen January 31, 2011
Gorgeous.
 
drbabs January 30, 2011
WOW
 
Kitchen B. January 30, 2011
Coffee. Cardamom. Cake. Three fantastic Cs....
 
TheWimpyVegetarian January 30, 2011
Love this !!!
 
Jennifer A. January 29, 2011
Beautiful cake!
 
Kayb January 28, 2011
Wow. That sounds pretty wonderful!
 
Sadassa_Ulna January 28, 2011
oh yum, this sounds incredible!