Swedish Cardamom Cake (Kardemummakaka) is a deliciously soft and buttery cake with an unmistakable cardamom aroma and flavor in every bite! You will surely love it if you’re a cardamom fan, so try it for your next coffee break!
Cardamom cake is quite popular among Swedes; hence there are various ways of making it.
This cake recipe with cardamom is my favorite way of preparing it.
Known locally as ‘kardemummakaka,’ it’s a classic Swedish cake that does look simple.
But trust me, it smells and tastes anything but plain.
You can even skip the dusting of powdered sugar and more ground cardamom on top — it will not diminish the heavenly flavor and softness of this Swedish fika favorite.
So, grab your ingredients for this cardamom sponge cake now!
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Why this cake recipe is a keeper!
- Light and moist. Each slice of this cardamom sponge cake stays soft without being heavy — making it an excellent choice for everyday coffee breaks or special occasions.
- Easy to dress up. Whether served with whipped cream, ice cream, berries, or just with plain coffee or tea, the cardamom flavor sings in every bite. You can even bake a couple of them, arrange them as a layer cake with some jam in between, and cover it with cream. How’s that for dressing up? 😉
Ingredients
(See the recipe card below for measurements.)
- Flour – all you need is all-purpose flour for this easy cardamom cake recipe.
- Eggs – medium-sized (63-73 grams each) and at room temperature.
- Butter – unsalted, melted, and cooled.
- Sugar – regular, white sugar is excellent for this Swedish cardamom cake.
- Baking powder – just use your favorite brand.
- Breadcrumbs – you only need this for preparing your cake pan.
- Milk – whole cream milk, if possible.
- Ground cardamom – as you can see in the image above, I used cardamom seeds; then, I just ground them before adding to the rest of the dry ingredients.
How to make kardemummakaka
Start preparing your Swedish cardamom cake by preheating the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Grease your 9-inch cake pan with butter.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the pan and set aside.
Using a medium-sized bowl, sift flour and baking powder, then add ground cardamom.
Use a whisk to mix all the dry ingredients.
In a separate and larger mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar.
Mix until sugar has completely dissolved.
Add milk and melted butter and continue mixing to combine.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix, just enough to combine.
Pour cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
Use an angled spatula to even the top of your kardemummakaka.
Place the pan in the lower part of the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it.
Set aside to cool, then remove cake from the pan.
Slice and serve your cardamom cake — sprinkle with mixed powdered sugar and ground cardamom, if desired.
Helpful tips
- Make sure you are using eggs at room temperature. If you are storing them in the refrigerator, take them out before you start preparing the rest of the ingredients for your Swedish cardamom cake.
- You can use a spice grinder, a small food processor, or a good old mortar and pestle to ground the cardamom seeds.
- It’s OK to keep your cake at room temperature for forty-eight hours, but don’t place it in direct sunlight. Otherwise, place your cardamom sponge cake in the refrigerator for longer storage.
Recipe variation
- Cardamom. If all you can find is packaged ground (powdered) cardamom, go ahead. But full disclosure: I don’t use that kind in making kardemummakaka — it’s never as fragrant nor as tasty as the freshly grounded ones.
- Flour. If you don’t have any breadcrumbs, dusting the cake pan with all-purpose flour is completely fine.
Serving suggestions
As shown in this cardamom cake recipe, Swedish dishes tend to use modest and simple ingredients, and this is reflected even in these great pairings:
Fika: For a traditional pairing, serve a slice of Swedish cardamom cake with coffee or tea. You can add a couple of chokladbollar (Swedish chocolate balls) for a classic sweet duo.
Midsummer celebration: Serve it with fresh berries (strawberries!) and a dollop of whipped cream — after enjoying a slice of Swedish cheese pie (a Midsummer staple), with some salad on the side.
Christmas buffet: Cut your Swedish cardamom cake into squares, dust it with powdered sugar, and combine it with lussekatter and pepparkakor for a colorful holiday spread. Go the extra mile on spice and serve it with a glass of glögg!
Are you finally convinced to give Swedish cardamom cake a try? Go ahead, do it this week, and let me know!
OR GET MORE IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF CAKES AROUND THE WORLD!
📖 Recipe
Swedish Cardamom Cake Recipe (Kardemummakaka)
Equipment
Ingredients
For Cardamom cake batter:
- 310 grams flour (about 2 & 1/4 cups)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp cardamom, ground
- 3 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 300 grams butter (1 & 1/3 cup when melted), unsalted and melted
For Serving (optional):
- 1/4 tsp cardamom, ground
- 1 & 1/2 tsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F), and prepare your 9-inch cake pan by greasing it with butter and sprinkling with breadcrumbs. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift flour and baking powder.
- Add ground cardamom, then mix all dry ingredients with a whisk to combine.
- In a larger mixing bowl, mix eggs and sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Add milk and melted butter and continue mixing to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients, then mix just enough to combine into a smooth batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Use an angled spatula to even the top of the cardamom cake.
- Place pan in the lower part of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it.
- Set the cake aside to cool, then remove it from the pan.
- Slice your freshly baked Swedish cardamom cake and if preferred, serve with a dusting of mixed powdered sugar and ground cardamom.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: I have provided measurements in the cups above, but I strongly suggest weighing the ingredients for the best result.
- Cook’s Tip#2: Ensure you are using eggs at room temperature, so if you store them in the refrigerator, take them out earlier.
- Refer to the post for more tips and suggestions.
Maria
This recipe is amazing! I was worried that I might not like it but it was sooo good. I’m in the USA so I usually decrease the sugar in recipes but didn’t for this cake. It was perfect, not too sweet at all!
Neriz
Thank you Maria! I am glad you liked it — this here is one of my personal favorites. 🙂
Maria d
I’ve made this twice so far in a month! Wow what a great cake. Easy to make and such a lovely flavour. I love that it’s not too sweet. First time came out perfect but I wanted more cardamom flavour so I added a bit extra the second time and made with coconut sugar because that’s all I had at the time. Turned out fabulous both times. This will be a go to recipe for my family from now on.
Neriz
Thank you Maria! 🙂
Shugofa
I’ve been saving this recipe for weeks and finally made it. Thank you for sharing the recipe. The cake is soft and fluffy. I used evaporated milk instead of fresh milk because that’s all we had at home. I also used a 8×8 square pan and baked for 45 mins and it turned out perfect! I was skeptical of how thick the cake batter turned out, but it turned out really delicious. Perfect sweetness and flavor. Will definitely be making this again.
Brian
Hello Neriz, I am planning on making this recipe soon. It looks delicious. But I have a question about the flour quantity in the recipe, and I don’t want to mess it up. You say it takes 310g or about 2 1/4 cups of flour, but these numbers are unequal 310g of flour equals 270g. 1 cup = 120g. (120 x 2 + 30 = 270). Would it be best to just follow the gram measurement? Is this what you do? And my second question is Do you use all-purpose or cake flour? Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I look forward to hearing from you and making this cake soon. Sincerely,
Brian
Neriz
Hej Brian,
I always use a weighing scale when making this, so yes, its best to follow the gram measurement. Also, do note that there is a slight difference between UK/European cups and US ones.
Enjoy!
Brian
Hello Neriz,
I hope you’ll respond to my comment that I had sent to you and not ignore me. I really hope to make the recipe, but I just wanted to be clear on the flour quantity and type. Do you measure in grams? 310 grams of flour is more than 2.5 cups of flour. 120g=1cup. Also, is the flour all-purpose or cake?
Neriz
No need to use cake flour Brian, all-purpose flour is excellent for making this cardamom cake. 🙂
Nat
This worked out great! I didn’t do the eggs at room temp and the butter got all weird and chunky. Don’t do that! I put the bowl in a warm water bath and it melted up just fine though. Great save! Very flexible recipe and the flavor was great. Will eat with tea!
Josie
The cardamom cake was awesome !!!
Familia loved it.
Thank you for sharing 🙂