Chocolate Cardamom Cake

A delicious chocolate cardamom cake, rich and decadent, frosted with whipped buttercream, combines the bold flavor of chocolate with the warm and aromatic spices of cardamom. A delicious vegan and dairy-free cake recipe perfect for any occasion.

This chocolate cardamom cake is perfect when you are looking for a special dessert to serve at an event or if you simple want to up your chocolate cake game. Add the whipped chocolate frosting, and you have a showstopper. The frosting goes well with other cakes too such as my chocolate fudge cake or even my fluffy vanilla cake.

Why You'll Love This Dessert

Memorable. Between the enhanced flavor of the chocolate, and the smooth rich frosting, the cake will not be forgotten soon by you or  whoever is served.

Easy as far as cakes go. It's a homemade cake and the steps don't vary much from any homemade cake. Put the dry ingredients together, then the wet, then add dry to wet.

Basic ingredients. The ingredients for this recipe are probably in  your kitchen right now. The cardamom spice is merely ground spice probably in your spice collection

Ingredients

For the cake, you'll need:

cocoa powder - unsweetened and the best quality as this carries the heft of the flavor for the cake. I suggest Ghiradelli or Valhrona if possible.

all purpose flour Or GF all purpose flour.

organic cane sugar - Organic cane sugar has a larger crystal and tastes better.

ground cardamom - ground or powdered cardamom found in the spice aisle.

dairy-free milk

lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 

pumpkin puree or unsweetened apple sauce

olive oil

Leaveners and flavors: baking soda, baking powder and vanilla extract

For the Frosting, you'll need:

organic powdered sugar - organic powdered sugar tastes so much better than non-organic because it holds tapioca instead of cornstarch.

cocoa powder - use unsweetened and a quality brand. For a darker frosting, use dutch processed cocoa.

full fat coconut milk - This milk is found in cans, not the refrigerated section. It is the basis for the fluffy texture so don't use other milks.

cold coffee - I use brewed coffee left over from my morning coffee or you can also use a teaspoon of instant coffee granules.

vanilla extract

Steps to Make

Read the recipe card below for measurements and exact steps but here is a general overview.

Step 1: Prepare by curdling the milk, dusting the pans and preheating the oven. To curdle the milk, add the ACV or lemon juice to the milk and set aside for 5 minutes. Rub the pans with oil and dust with cocoa powder.

Step 2: Mix all the dry ingredients, including the sugar in one bowl.

Step 3: Mix all the wet ingredients in a larger bowl. Then add the dry to the wet and mix with a mixer. I use a hand mixer.

Step 4: Add the batter to the pans, tap to level and bake.

Step 5: Let the layers cool on cooling racks, and then frost.

Step 6: To make the frosting, cream all ingredients together.

Substitutions

Lemon juice: You can  use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Milk: I use almond milk, but any milk will work.

All purpose flour: I often make this with baking flour 1 to 1 gluten-free by Bob's Red Mill.

Organic cane sugar: Regular cane sugar will work here, but try organic cane sugar if you can, it tastes so much better.

Pumpkin puree: Instead of eggs, I use pumpkin puree but apple sauce also works.

Recipe Tips

Mix wet ingredients well. This is your main chance to help the sugar dissolve so stir well so the sugar seems dissolved. Once you add the wet to the dry, you need to mix just enough to combine - over mixing leads to a touch cake texture.

Keep frosting moist. If you make the frosting before the layers are cool, cover the bowl with a soaking wet paper towel to keep it fresh.

Don't forget the coffee. You won't taste it, it just elevates the taste of the chocolate.

Storage

Once frosted the cake will last one day at room temperature uncut. Once cut, eat or refrigerate for two days, although refrigeration will dry out the cake. The cake unfrosted can be frozen if wrapped in air-tight seals for two months.

FAQS

Does Cardamom Go With Chocolate?

Oh my, yes! In this cake especially it leaves a flavor in your mouth that is so pleasing yet so indescribably that you will be saying "now what is that flavor?"...

Can Cardamom Be Used in Baking?

Yes! Although cardamom is often thought of as a season for Indian savory dishes, it is often used in Nordic countries in their dessert recipes.

How To Use Cardamom

It is best to buy pods - available in spice section of grocery store - and crush them, remove seeds and grind them. Or you can use ground cardamom for a less robust flavor. Cardamom is expensive however, like saffron, but well worth it and one bottle lasts a long time.

What Does A Cardamom Cake Taste Like?

It tastes like a deep fresh chocolate cake, with a hint of some spice that at first is unidentifiable. I believe it boosts the flavor of the chocolate.

Other Cake Recipes

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

Tuxedo Cake

Fluffy Vanilla Cake

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📖 Recipe

Chocolate Cardamom Cake

Created by Dee Dine

A delicious chocolate cardamom cake, rich and decadent, frosted with whipped buttercream, combines the bold flavor of chocolate with the warm and aromatic spices of cardamom. A delicious vegan and dairy-free cake recipe perfect for any occasion. 

5 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Calories 351 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour Or GF all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 ½ cup almond milk
• 1 ½ cups organic cane sugar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree or apple sauce
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• ½ cup vegan butter
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (vegan brands have no bone char)
• ⅓ unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-4 tablespoon full fat coconut milk canned
• 1 tablespoon cold coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

Prep

• Add the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to the milk and set aside.
  1 ½ cup almond milk, 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Rub butter on the inside of two 8-inch round pans.
• Dust the oiled pans with cocoa powder

Make the cake

• In a medium bowl, stir the dry ingredients together.
  ¾ cup cocoa powder, 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• In a larger bowl, mix together the wet ingredients including the sugar. Make sure you stir long enough so the sugar seems dissolved.
  ¼ cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup olive oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ cups organic cane sugar
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
• Blend the batter until smooth, then divide evenly between the two baking pans, tapping them on the counter to level the mixture.
• Bake 30 minutes or until tester is clean.
• Let the layers cool in the pans about 15 minutes, then run a knife around the inside, turn each over onto a cooling rack and tap until it falls out.
  

  Let them cool completely on the racks before frosting.
  

Frosting:

• Melt the butter in the microwave at 10 seconds. Let it cool.

  Stir up the sugar and cocoa in a bowl.

  Add melted butter to the sugar and cocoa mixture.
  ½ cup vegan butter, 3 ½ cups powdered sugar, ⅓ unsweetened cocoa powder
• Use a hand-mixer to blend up the mixture, and add in the vanilla and coffee.
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon cold coffee
• Whip up the milk with a hand-mixer until there is a whipped cream texture - this will vary with brand and if you used full fat as opposed to lite.

  Then, add the milk to the frosting mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, blending between, until you have a frosting texture.
  2-4 tablespoon full fat coconut milk
• Cover the bowl with a soaking wet paper or cloth towel if not ready to frost immediately.
• Assemble cake by stacking layers, frosting each. Or, to replicate our cake pictured, slice each layer lengthwise to make a 4-layer cake.

Storage

• Once frosted the cake will last one day at room temperature uncut. Once cut, eat or refrigerate for two days, although refrigeration will dry out the cake. The cake unfrosted can be frozen if wrapped in air-tight seals for two months.

Notes

Lemon juice: or you can  use white vinegar or lemon juice.

Milk: I use almond milk, but any milk will work.

All purpose flour: I often make this with baking flour 1 to 1 gluten-free by Bob's Red Mill.

Organic cane sugar: Regular cane sugar will work here, but try organic cane sugar if you can, it tastes so much better.

Pumpkin Puree or apple sauce: Instead of eggs, I use  pumpkin puree (not pumpkie pie puree) or apple sauce.

Mix wet ingredients well. This is your main chance to help the sugar dissolve so stir well so the sugar seems dissolved. Once you add the wet to the dry, you need to mix just enough to combine - over mixing leads to a touch cake texture.

Keep frosting moist. If you make the frosting before the layers are cool, cover the bowl with a soaking wet paper towel to keep it fresh.

Don't forget the coffee. You won't taste it, it just elevates the taste of the chocolate.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 351kcalCarbohydrates: 91gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 50mgPotassium: 195mgFiber: 6gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 430IUCalcium: 136mgIron: 2.4mg

Keyword chocolate cardamom cake

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