Cardamom Coffee Cake 

Cardamom Coffee Cake is a tasty twist on the classic coffee cake recipe! It’s a delicious brown butter cake with a cardamom and cinnamon swirl through the middle of the cake and a spiced crumb topping. With a moist and tender crumb, this cake is a perfect pairing for your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

For more delicious coffee cake recipes, try my Blueberry Coffee Cake, Blackberry Coffee Cake with Sour Cream, and Brown Butter Coffee Cake next.

You have to try this easy cardamom coffee cake recipe – it’s the kind of cake that’s like a warm hug on a cold day. The base is a soft, fluffy cake infused with that warm, slightly spicy cardamom flavor, perfect with your morning cup of coffee or for an afternoon pick-me-up. 

But the real star? That brown butter. It adds this nutty, caramel-like depth that makes each bite melt in your mouth.

On top, there’s a thick layer of beautiful golden brown streusel (kinda like a new york city style coffee cake) that’s sweet and buttery, with a hint of cardamom that ties it all together. It’s one of those cakes that’s super comforting and cozy. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Great for All Occasions! Coffee cake is always appropriate. Serve this at breakfast, brunch, dessert, showers, tea parties, and even special occasions like birthday or thanksgiving.
• A Fall Treat! We always associate cooler weather with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, so surprise guests with cardamom instead. It’s one of my favorite things to make this time of the year. 
• Easy to Make! Don’t be intimidated by the prep and baking time. This recipe is very simple and doesn’t require any special techniques or equipment. Even novice bakers can whip up this cake without much fuss.

Cardamom Coffee Cake Ingredients

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Crumb Topping

• All Purpose Flour – This forms the base of the crumb topping, creating the desired crumbly texture that contrasts with the soft cake layer.
• Brown Sugar – This sugar has more moisture than granulated white sugar because of the addition of molasses. It adds a warm, sweet quality. 
• Spices – Cinnamon and cardamom give the topping its signature warm, spiced taste, which complements the cardamom in the cake.
• Salted Butter – Use melted butter to bind the dry ingredients together, creating the crumbly texture of the topping. The butter adds richness and flavor.
• Kosher Salt – Enhances the sweetness and overall flavor of the crumb topping, balancing the sugar and spices.

Cardamom Coffee Cake Layer

• Salted Butter – Room temperature butter is essential for creaming with sugar, which helps incorporate air into the batter, resulting in a light and fluffy cake. You can also use unsalted butter here too if you prefer.

• Sugar – Sweetens the cake batter and helps create a tender crumb by incorporating air during the creaming process.

• Large Eggs – Room temperature eggs act as a binding ingredient and add moisture.

• Vanilla Extract – This adds vanilla flavor that complements the other ingredients. Without it, bake goods tend to taste like they’re missing something.

• Sour Cream – This is the key to a soft cake. It enriches the matter, adding moisture to prevent a dry coffee cake. It also adds a tangy taste that deepens the flavor. 

• Cake Flour – This is essential when baking a cake. It forms the structure while allowing the cake to still be tender and moist. In a pinch, all purpose flour will do.

• Ground Cardamom – Made from the seeds of plant in the ginger family, cardamom is sweet with a subtle spiciness. It’s a main component in chai tea, so if you’re familiar with the taste, you’ll love it here.

• Cinnamon – This complements the cardamom. 

• Baking Soda – This leavening agent ensures the cake rises while keeping it light and airy. Be sure that you’re baking soda isn’t expired so that your cake will rise perfect in the oven.

• Kosher Salt – Use this to balance the sweetness. 

Variations

• Flavor: To play up the citrus notes of the cardamom, try pairing it with orange extract instead of vanilla.
• Add-ins: Mix in some chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans into the crumb topping or the batter for added texture and a nutty flavor.
• If you don’t have cardamom, you can simply use cinnamon and it would still be delicious!

How to Make Cardamom Coffee Cake

Step 1: Melt butter in a skillet until foamy and browned bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat to cool. 

Step 2: Make the streusel. Combine all purpose flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Mix together with your hands and then 4 tbsp of the melted browned butter. Continue to mix together until butter is fully incorporated and crumbles begin to form. Place in the refrigerator.

• Allow the remaining browned butter to solidify to room temperature (about 1 hour).

Step 3: While the butter is cooling to room temp, make the filling by combining cinnamon, cardamom, sugar, and flour in a small bowl. Give it a good whisk and set aside.

Step 4: Once the butter is at room temperature, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, and kosher salt. Whisk together and set aside.

Step 5: Combine room temperature brown butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream together on medium speed for 3 minutes. Reduce to low speed and begin adding eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add vanilla extract and almond extract. Continue to mix until all ingredients are mixed together, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Step 6: Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix together. Then add sour cream and milk and mix until just combined. Then add the remainder of the flour mixture and mix until just combined

Step 7: Spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick baking spray, then line with parchment paper with about 1 inch overhang to make the cake easy to remove from the pan.

Step 8: Add half of the batter to the prepared pan, then sprinkle the filling on top. Add the remaining batter to cover the filling and remove crumb topping from the refrigerator. Sprinkle on top of the cake batter. Bake for 55-65 minutes. Allow the cardamom crumb cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Expert Tips for the Best Cardamom Coffee Cake

• Use room temperature ingredients. Get the butter, eggs, and sour cream to room temperature before you start. This allows for better mixing and a smoother batter, which helps the cake rise evenly and achieve a light, tender texture.
• Properly cream butter and sugar. Beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is crucial for incorporating air into the batter, which contributes to the cake’s structure and helps it rise.
• Do not overmix the batter. Once you add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mix until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, leading to a denser cake instead of a light and tender crumb.
• Chill the crumb topping. After preparing the crumb topping, place it in the refrigerator while you prepare the cake batter. Chilling helps the crumbs maintain their texture and prevents them from melting into the cake during baking.
• Test for doneness. Begin checking the cake for doneness around the 55-minute mark. Insert a toothpick into the center; if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, the cake is done. Avoid overbaking to keep the cake moist.
• Let the cake cool before removing. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before running a knife around the edge and removing it from the springform pan. This helps the cake set and allows for easy removal without breaking.