Kardemummakaka
Kardemummakaka·(kar-duh-moom-uh-kah-kah)
Fika & Koselig (The Sacred Pauses)
Three o'clock in the afternoon, snow drafts through a Gothenburg apartment, and butter and cardamom radiate from the oven. This isn't the labor-intensive yeast dough of a bakery bun; it’s a quick-stirred soft cake built for a mid-afternoon fika. When you have thirty minutes, this is what you bake. The secret isn’t complicated, but it is strict: you must buy whole supermarket cardamom pods and crush the seeds yourself. We use the old-school pan trick here, greasing a worn Bundt pan generously with butter and coating it in dry breadcrumbs to create a savory-crisp edge that yields to a rich, buttermilk-tenderized crumb. When the crust shatters, slice it thick and serve it with strong, black coffee.
Before you start
Extract and crush the cardamom seeds.
Crack open about 20 to 25 whole green cardamom pods, extract the black seeds, and grind them coarsely in a mortar and pestle.
Ingredients
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- plain fine dry breadcrumbs3 tbsp
- unsalted butter10 tbsp
- large eggs2 large
- granulated sugar1 cup
- whole cardamom seeds1 tbsp
- all-purpose flour1 1/2 cup
- baking powder1 1/2 tsp
- vanilla extract1 tsp
- cultured buttermilk1/2 cup
- Swedish pearl sugar or sliced almonds2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Smear a standard 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan generously with the 1 tablespoon of softened butter, then pour in the breadcrumbs, tilting and rotating until the bottom and sides are entirely coated in an even, sandy layer. Tap out any excess.
- 02
Whip the eggs and sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar together vigorously with a whisk or hand mixer until pale, thick, and highly porous—about 3 to 4 minutes.
- 03
Combine the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and the freshly crushed cardamom shards.
- 04
Fold the batter together.
Pour the melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla extract into the fluffy egg mixture, stirring gently. Fold in the dry ingredients just until smooth and no streaks remain, taking care not to overmix.
- 05
Top and bake.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar or sliced almonds. Bake on the middle-lower rack for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the edges pull away and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- 06
Let the cake rest before serving.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes to let the crumb set. Unlatch the springform, transfer to a wire rack, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Don't skip the mortar and pestle.
Pre-ground cardamom oxidizes and loses its volatile oils on the supermarket shelf. Manually crushing fresh seeds from green pods is the non-negotiable key to explosive, authentic Swedish flavor.
The buttermilk secret.
Cultured buttermilk or plain kefir replaces traditional Swedish filmjölk, providing the acidity needed to tenderize the gluten and keep the crumb intensely moist.