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A couple weeks ago I made this display cake for the Good Food Awards for their 10th anniversary. Its made with a fluffy cake made with citrus (yuzu and orange zest) and a hint of cardamom, layered with Jamnation Jams Seville orange and cardamom marmalade and Swiss meringue buttercream that is flavored with Woodward Extracts cardamom extract! I also candied some Yuzu, oranges, mandarins and blood oranges for a little ombré candied orange slice detail. I wanted it to be bright and fun so I went with an abstract art look! The layer cake I made ended up being bought at the auction so I hope whoever got it enjoyed it! ?
I honestly think this is my dream cake – bright, warm with just the perfect amount of sweetness and buttercream:cake ratio! I asked you guys if you wanted hte layer cake ofr a simple sheet cake version and it was close bu the sheet cake version won. This cake is sweet, tart and slightly bitter (because of the marmalade). I think it pairs well with a sweet fruity tea or herbal tea.
I use a Swiss meringue buttercream because I love the lightness of it but if you want to make it eggless you can make regular buttercream by combining 2 cups of unsalted butter (room temperature) with 4 cups of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and a tsp of vanilla and cardamom extract. Whisk together for 5-7 minutes until light, pale and fluffy. You could also replace the egg whites with 1/3 cup of concentrated Aquafaba (check out my eggless French macaron to learn how to make this).
For the colors, I used Wilton gel food coloring to dye my frosting. They’re vibrant and super pigmented which makes mixing frosting so much easier! I decorated the top with Food La La Valentine’s Day sprinkles to make it festive.
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Orange Cardamom Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 (170 g) cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup (116 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 egg (or 3 tbsp of vegan mayo or sour cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp Woodward Extracts cardamom extract
- 3/4 cup (170 g) milk
CARDAMOM SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
- 1/3 cup of egg whites (or concentrated Aquafaba)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 13 tbsp (188 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp Woodward Extracts cardamom extract
- 1/3 cup of Jamnation Jams Seville orange and Cardamom marmalade
- food coloring
- sprinkles (optional)
- candied orange slices (optional)
Instructions
Orange Cardamom Cake
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F an grease and line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt together and set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar and orange zest. Use your finger to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is pale orange. This helps extract the oils and flavor from the zest. Add butter and mix with a paddle attachment for 7 minutes, scraping the bowl down every few minutes. The butter should be light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg (or egg replacement), vanilla extract, and cardamom extract. Mix for 3 minutes until well combined and fluffy.
- Add the flour mixture and milk in 3 alternating additions, mixing well in between each addition. After the final addition, mix until just combined. Use a spatula to gently fold the batter to make sure everything is mixed in and smooth.
- Pour the batter in and smooth into an even layer. Tap the pan on the counter 2-3 times to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Cardamom Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Add egg whites (or aquafaba), sugar, cream of tartar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Set up a double boiler and place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir for 5 minutes or until the mixture hits 160°F. Then remove from the heat. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whisk for 12 minutes or until the bowl is body temperature (90F). Add butter a tablespoon at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Add powdered sugar and cardamom extract. Whisk well. If it’s soupy or loose- pop the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes and then continue whisking. It should be creamy, smooth and light.
Assemble
- Set aside 1 cup of frosting. Spoon the rest of the buttercream into a piping bag or sandwich bag and cut off a 1/2 inch corner. Pipe a circle around the edge of the cake. Fill the cake with orange marmalade and spread into an even layer. Pipe additional buttercream on top and smooth into an even layer. Pop the cake into the fridge to set.
- Split the buttercream into 5 bowls by placing 2 tbsp each for the purple and red frosting and 1/4 cup each for pale orange, orange and pink (dusty rose) frosting. Mix it in until you get the colors you want.
- Swipe the purple, orange, and red buttercream onto the cake. Then take the pale orange and pink frosting and plop down a thick bit small layer. Use your offset spatula to then swipe lines into the buttercream to create some texture.
- Spoon the rest of the pink, orange and pale orange buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe random dots onto the cake. Add sprinkles and candied orange slices to decorate.
- Store in the fridge and remove from the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.
Notes
You can also use American buttercream by mixing together 4 cups of powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and a tsp of cardamom extract. Whisk together for 5-7 minutes until light, pale and fluffy.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
