If you like cardamom in baked goods, this recipe is for you. If you don’t, just omit it and you will still have a delicious cinnamon-scented coffee cake with a generous amount of streusel. Cardamom, which is native to India and Indonesia, is in the same family as ginger and turmeric and is very fragrant. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all used it, and the Vikings took it back to Scandinavia. Today, it is widely used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Swedish dishes as well as some Southeast Asian ones.
In its native India, whole green cardamom frequently appears in savory dishes, and green and/or black cardamom seeds are also part of many garam masala spice mixes. Black cardamom is also very popular in Vietnam; I discovered it was a key ingredient in the long-simmered broth of my favorite Vietnamese pho in Maryland, when the owner came from the kitchen to show me a handful of the aromatic black pods.
On the sweeter side of things (a very nice side indeed), cardamom is a key ingredient in chai teas and mulled wines like Swedish glögg and German glühwein. It is also a key flavor component in Nordic baking and in Indian sweets, which often feature one of cardamom’s most delicious partners: rose water.
This recipe pays homage to my love of cardamom, my love of coffee cake, and my love of lots of streusel.
Extra Streusel Coffee Cake with Cinnamon and Cardamom
Ingredients:
STREUSEL:
2/3-3/4 cup (135-150 gr.) brown sugar (adjust depending on how sweet you like your coffee cake)
4 tablespoons (34 gr.) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom
heaping 1/2 cup (80 gr.) chopped pecans or walnuts
3 tablespoons (45 ml.) canola/vegetable oil
CAKE:
1 1/2 cups (about 200 gr.) cake flour or regular flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (134 gr.) sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup (60 ml.) canola/vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup (180 ml.) milk (oat milk also lends a nice flavor)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
2. Grease the bottom of an 8×8-inch (20 cm.) square baking pan (or spray with cooking/baking spray), line with parchment paper, and grease or spray the paper.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the streusel ingredients until well combined. Press down on the mixture with the back of a spoon to compact (to create a few future streusel lumps), and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and spices.
5. In another medium bowl, combine the oil, egg, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just enough to mix. The batter will be a bit thin.
6. Pour 1/2 of the cake batter into the prepared pan (it will seem like a very thin layer; just make sure to fully cover the bottom of the pan).
7. With a knife or spoon, score a line across the top of the streusel in the bowl, dividing the streusel in half. Using a spoon, scoop and scatter 1/2 of the streusel on top of the batter, trying to retain some streusel lumps. Evenly pour the remaining cake batter over, and then scatter the other 1/2 streusel on top.
8. Bake the coffee cake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick, knife, or fork inserted in the center comes out clean.
Adapted from a recipe on food.com.
Perennial Pastimes 