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Almond Cardamom Cake is an Indian-inspired Afternoon Tea cake that pairs perfectly with a hot cup of masala chai.
Whenever I bake for my mom, it has to be an unfrosted cake, or as my mom likes to say – “dry cake.” She just refuses to eat any cakes with frosting. Now, let me assure you there is nothing dry about this Almond Tea Cake, it’s moist, fragrant, and delicious.
Table of Contents
- What is Almond Tea Cake?
- Can I make this recipe vegan, gluten-free?
- Can I make this cake nut-free?
- What other nuts can I use instead of almonds?
- Tips on making Almond Cardamom Tea Cake:
- Almond Cardamom Cake is:
- How to make Almond Cardamom Cake recipe
- More Indian Afternoon Tea Recipes!
- Almond Cardamom Cake Recipe
- Pin & Enjoy!
What is Almond Tea Cake?
Almond Tea Cake is a simple vanilla buttery cake flavored with sliced almonds, cardamom, and unfrosted. It pairs beautifully with a cup of hot Kadak Masala Chai.
Can I make this recipe vegan, gluten-free?
for vegan: Skip the butter and use vegan butter. Skip the milk and use nut-free unsweetened milk.
Can I make this cake nut-free?
Absolutely. Simply omit the almonds and go nut-free.
What other nuts can I use instead of almonds?
Pistachios would work beautifully. Cashews and walnuts will work too.
I would avoid peanuts and pecans.
Tips on making Almond Cardamom Tea Cake:
- You need sliced almonds, not chopped. You can easily find them at any grocery store.
- Make sure the butter, eggs, and milk are all at room temperature. This results in a lighter cake.
- Do NOT over-mix the batter else the result will be a tough cake. Just mix the ingredients until well combined.
- Fold, do not mix, fold the sliced almonds into the batter at the end. Also, top the cake with additional sliced almonds.
Almond Cardamom Cake is:
Light & airy
Fragrant
Delicious
Perfect for Mother’s Day
Ideal for Indian Afternoon Tea
Pair with Kadak Masala Chai
How to make Almond Cardamom Cake recipe
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt.
3. Take a stick of butter at room temperature.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy.
5. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs until the batter is creamy.
7. Now add the vanilla extract and beat.
8-9 Add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the dry and wet – start with the dry and end with dry.
10. Batter is done.
11. Add the sliced almonds and fold them into the batter.
12. Grease an 8″ round springform pan, and pour the batter into the baking tray.
13. Top with more sliced almonds. Into the oven for 30-35 minutes.
14. Cake is done. Cut into 12 slices. Enjoy with tea!
More Indian Afternoon Tea Recipes!
- Indian Afternoon Tea
- Tea Party Sandwiches – Indian-inspired
- Mango Mousse
- Quinoa Bhel Salad
- Rava Dhokla
- Eggless Mawa Cake
- Rose Water Cake with Almonds and Rose Buttercream
Almond Cardamom Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, inside batter
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds, for topping
- dusting of powdered sugar, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt.
- Take a stick of butter at room temperature.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy.
- Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs until the batter is creamy.
- Now add the vanilla extract and beat.
- 8-9 Add the dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the dry and wet – start with the dry and end with dry.
- Batter is done.
- Add the sliced almonds and fold them into the batter.
- Grease a found springform pan and pour the batter into the pan.
- Top with more sliced almonds. Into the oven for 30-35 minutes.
- Cake is done. Cut into 12 slices. Enjoy with tea!
This tea cake intrigued me because I love all the ingredients and was looking for a cake that would be nice without frosting. I made it for friends yesterday and they liked it, I thought is was good but could be improved by another 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and cardamom as well as more sugar to amp up the lovely flavor. The texture was very nice and I’ll look forward to making it again. Thank you for the recipe.
HI Allison, Overall, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I went easy on the cardamom as it’s quite strong, but yes you can always increase the amount as needed. As far as sugar goes, you’ll notice most of my dessert recipes aren’t overly sweet.. I tone down the sugar in my recipes so it’s perfect. Again, you may increase the amount as needed. THank you for your feedback. 🙂
Can you substitute honey for sugar? If so, what amount?
Looks like a great recipe!
HI Taz. I wouldn’t and I haven’t tried, but if you really want to make it with honey, go ahead and use the same amount of honey as sugar.
Let me know if you try it.
Deliciousness!! Was craving a nice almond croissant or cake. No luck finding a good one. Baked this cake and voila!!!! It was delicious. Will def be baking soon. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, would this cake work with almond flour? Thanks
Hi Lia. I’m not sure. I believe almond flour and all-purpose have a 1:1 ratio so you can certainly try it. With that said, almond flour has more fat than regular flour and there is butter and eggs in this recipe. I would google similar recipes and substitute accordingly. Sorry.
Can I use a regular cake pan?
Hi JJ – what size is your cake pan? Yes, a round 9″ cake pan will work or even a 9″ square pan. Hope that helps.
Hi Nisha, trying your recipe for the first time. If you double the recipe, does it require the same about of time?
HI Nisha, I haven’t tried that. If you’re using 2 different cake pans – then I would check at the time indicated to see if the cakes are done. You may need 5 mins more. If you’re baking the cake in 1 large pan, then you will likely need more time. Regardless, I would check the cake at the time indicated and every 5 minutes or 10 minutes after that depending on how underbaked it is. Hope that helps.
I have whole cardamom, I opened them and tried to crush the seeds, its a little difficult.. its in the oven, will it work out?
How many green cardamoms did you add? A little bit goes a long way, it should work out. 🙂 Let me know!