Orange and Cardamom Loaf

I have abstained from baking, particularly cakes for the last few weeks. Well one can only abstain for so long! It was a long weekend here last week and I wanted to make a cake! You would imagine that I would have known exactly what to bake but that was not the case, choosing which cake proved to be a hard decision. Lots of recipe perusing left me with a craving for an orange cake, lots more perusing led me to the discovery of orange and cardamom cakes! After all this perusing I was out of time and now didn’t have all the ingredients for any of the cakes I found so I improvised, using my Lemon Olive Oil cake recipe but swapping orange and cardamom for lemon and making my own buttermilk as I forgot to buy yoghurt! I could not have been more disorganised if Id tried!

Despite my disorganisation this cake was a triumph! Orange and cardamom are a match made in heaven! The smell of the fresh ground cardamom and the orange zest is amazing, if ever I get around to making my own body scrub this will be the scent I use! The cake is light and fluffy and very moist.

note : Making your own buttermilk, if you don’t have any, is really easy! Just stir 1 tbsp of lemon juice into 1 cup of milk, it will begin to thicken almost immediately, leave for 10 minutes and use instead buttermilk

Orange Cardamom Cake

ingredients

200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar (I use unrefined)
zest of 1 large orange (unwaxed if you can)
3 cardamom pods
2 eggs
220 grams (1.5 cups) self-raising flour
20o mls (3/4 cup) buttermilk
155 mls (2/3 cup) olive oil

method

Pre heat your oven to 180 C, 350 F, Gas 4. Grease and base line a loaf tin.
Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind until powdery using a pestle and mortar. Add to the sugar with the orange zest and using your fingers mix together well, this releases the oils in the zest and makes a wonderful fragrant mix.
Whisk together the orange, cardamom sugar and the eggs, adding the eggs one at a time. I use my stand mixer for this.
Mix in the buttermilk.
Mix in the olive oil.
Fold in the flour.
Pour into prepared loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

buttermilk, cardamom, loaf cake, Orange

This entry was posted on May 31, 2013, 15:32 and is filed under Baking, dessert. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

#1 by bakeaffairs on May 31, 2013 - 16:25

I love cardamom and this recipe sounds very tasty! Great pictures!

#2 by Liz on May 31, 2013 - 16:43

nummy num. love how you came to create this recipe 🙂 Looks so pretty and tasty. Also liking your polka dot tablecloth–pretty.

#3 by Wendy Read (@Sunchowder) on May 31, 2013 - 17:36

Ummmm Cardamom 🙂 I adore loaf cakes..yours looks delightful. I never have buttermilk around, I always have to make it with milk and cider vinegar before I bake!

- #4 by Jayne on June 1, 2013 - 19:34
  
  It’s such a good tip to have under your belt isn’t it?
  
#5 by Barb | Creative Culinary on May 31, 2013 - 20:01

I do believe we need to share this with a spot of tea Jayne. I’ll be over forthwith. 🙂

Seriously then…sounds wonderful;just love the flavor combination.

- #6 by Jayne on June 1, 2013 - 19:34
  
  Thank you! Oh I do wish you could pop over!
  
#7 by traceinthekitchen on June 1, 2013 - 20:08

these looks scrumptious! would be perfect with a cup of tea in the morning. i made an orange loaf recently that also called for an icing that i kinda botched, wahwah…i’m gonna try this!!!

- #8 by Jayne on June 6, 2013 - 21:04
  
  Thank you! I wonder what happened to your icing? Cakes without icing are much easier!
  
#9 by Vanesther on June 2, 2013 - 08:09

Love, love, love the look of this! Cardamom has to be one of my favourite spices, especially in sweet things…

- #10 by Jayne on June 6, 2013 - 21:05
  
  Thank you! I’m a cardamom convert!
  
#11 by Chez Foti on June 6, 2013 - 10:17

I’m with the others on the wonderfully fragrant cardamom addition, looks like such a gorgeous cake! Loving the use of olive oil too :))

- #12 by Jayne on June 6, 2013 - 21:05
  
  Thank you! I love using olive oil in cakes, makes a great textured cake!
  
#13 by lizzygoodthings on June 8, 2013 - 02:18

I love the sound of orange and cardamom, Jayne….. ; )

- #14 by Jayne on June 8, 2013 - 06:48
  
  Thank you! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
  
#15 by Maureen | Orgasmic Chef on June 11, 2013 - 06:48

Wow Jayne, this cake looks so good and the aroma in your kitchen must have been wonderful.

- #16 by Jayne on June 11, 2013 - 21:05
  
  Thank you! Indeed, the aroma was fabulous!
  
#17 by Jacqueline @How to be a Gourmand on June 16, 2013 - 15:28

Jayne thank you for provide inspiration in such well matched flavours. Another great way to use olive oil in cakes 🙂
Thanks also for the tip re buttermilk – I would never have known it was that simple!

- #18 by Jayne on June 16, 2013 - 16:18
  
  Thank you! Yes, another olive oil cake! Your hazelnut one sounds amazing, can’t wait to try it!