Cardamom Coffee Cake (Printable)

Tender cake with cardamom aroma and crunchy brown sugar streusel, ideal for breakfast or snacks.

# What You Need:

→ Streusel Topping

01 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
02 - 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
04 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
06 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

→ Cake Batter

07 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
10 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
12 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
13 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
14 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
15 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
16 - 2/3 cup sour cream
17 - 1/4 cup whole milk

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold butter and rub with fingers or pastry cutter until mixture forms clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom for the cake batter.
04 - In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
05 - On low speed, add half of flour mixture to butter mixture, followed by sour cream and milk. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter.
07 - Bake for 38-42 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden brown.
08 - Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes. Use parchment overhang to lift out. Cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The streusel is absolutely worth the extra step: those little brown sugar clusters catch the oven heat and turn golden and crunchy while the cake stays moist underneath.
  • Cardamom transforms an ordinary coffee cake into something that tastes like you actually know what you're doing: one teaspoon is all it takes to make people ask what your secret ingredient is.
  • It's forgiving enough for a beginner but fancy enough to serve to people you want to impress.
02 -
  • Overmixing after you add the flour is the fastest way to ruin this cake: once the flour is incorporated, stop the mixer immediately or you'll develop the gluten and end up with something dense and tough that tastes like you bought it from a grocery store in 1987.
  • Room temperature eggs and sour cream actually matter: they mix smoothly into the batter instead of creating little pockets of fat and temperature shock that bake into weird lumps.
  • Cold butter in the streusel is non-negotiable: if it's warm or softened, it'll melt into the flour and you'll lose those precious crunchy clusters that make this cake special.
03 -
  • Invest in freshly ground cardamom or grind whole pods yourself: it transforms the entire cake from pleasant to unforgettable, and the investment is just a few dollars.
  • Let your butter sit on the counter while you prep other ingredients so it's softened but not warm: it should leave an indent when you press it but not melt into the bowl.
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