Cardamom Coffee Cake (Print Version)

A tender coffee cake infused with cardamom and topped with brown sugar streusel.

# Components:

→ 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

# Directions:

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 cubed butter and rub with fingers or pastry cutter until mixture forms clumps. Refrigerate until needed.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom.
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 the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by sour cream and milk. Add remaining flour mixture and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over batter.
07 - Bake for 38 to 42 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
08 - Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then use parchment overhang to lift out. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cardamom transforms ordinary coffee cake into something that tastes like you spent hours on it, but the actual work is maybe thirty minutes.
  • That streusel topping stays gloriously crunchy even after a day, which means you can justify eating a slice for breakfast without guilt.
  • It's forgiving enough that even if your oven runs hot or cold, you'll still end up with a tender, aromatic cake that impresses everyone.
02 -
  • Cold streusel butter is non-negotiable—if you use soft or room-temperature butter, it blends completely and you lose those precious crunchy clumps that make this cake special.
  • The sour cream and milk combination isn't just flavor; it's actually the trick that keeps the cardamom-spiked crumb impossibly tender without tasting heavy.
03 -
  • Buy cardamom pods whole and grind them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle just before baking—the flavor is incomparably fresher than anything that's been sitting in a jar for months.
  • If your butter is softening while you work, pop the streusel mixture back in the fridge for a few minutes; cold butter is the difference between a tender, crumbly topping and one that bakes into a dense layer.
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