This wonderful recipe from the Boston Globe Magazine, sent from my friend Jeanette in Boston. The magazine writes: “Moist, just sweet enough, and oh-so-aromatic, this cake is adapted from The Greyston Bakery Cookbook.”  After making this cake I agree whole-heartedly that this cake is fantastically delicious. Cardamom is part of the ginger family with a pungent aroma and sweet-spicy flavor and is often used to flavor breads and cakes.

Cardamom Cake

Ingredients:

Small amount of vegetable shortening and flour for preparing pan

Batter:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2½ teaspoons ground cardamom

1½ teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Tip:  Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Topping:

1 to 2 teaspoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare one 9 inch fluted tube pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening and dust with flour.
   
   Batter:
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, cardamom, baking soda, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
   
   
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
   

Tip: To cream, start by placing the butter in the bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed begin by beating the butter about 1 minute until it is smooth and light in color.

With the mixer still on medium speed, slowly add the sugar to the butter, either one tablespoon at a time, or in a very slow steady stream, taking from 4 to 8 minutes to add all of the sugar, and beating until the butter and sugar are fully incorporated and the mixture is a light, or pale yellow color, with a fluffy texture. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly mixed. Add the vanilla along with the last egg.
   

Tip: For each egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the egg before adding to the creamed mixture. Start with the mixer on low speed so the liquid from the egg doesn’t splatter, once the egg is partially mixed increase the speed to medium. Each egg should be fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the next egg, taking about one minute to blend in each egg.

5. With the mixer on low speed, add about one third of the flour mixture, mix just until the flour is almost completely blended.  Scrape the bowl down, and add about one half of the sour cream, blending just until mixed. Scrape the bowl down again and continue alternating with the flour mixture and sour cream, ending with the last portion of the flour, and stirring just until blended.
   
   Bake:
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a large spoon. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a long toothpick, wooden skewer, or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and place pans on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then remove cake from the pans and place the cake on the wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
   
   Topping:
7. Before serving, use a fine-mesh sieve to dust the top of cake with confectioner’s sugar.
   
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