If you love the warm, citrusy aroma of cardamom, this Swedish Cardamom Cake (Kardemummakaka) is sure to become a favorite. Soft, buttery, and delicately spiced, it’s the perfect cake to pair with a cup of coffee for a cozy fika break.
In Sweden, Kardemummakaka is a beloved everyday cake, enjoyed for its simple preparation and irresistible flavor. With a tender crumb and a rich, aromatic taste, this cake comes together effortlessly and is finished with just a light dusting of powdered sugar—letting the cardamom shine.
This Swedish Cardamom Cake is a perfect example of a classic fika cake—something simple, delicious, and ideal for pairing with a morning or afternoon cup of coffee. If you love the idea of incorporating a fika break into your day, you’ll also enjoy my Swedish Apple Cake (Äppelkaka), Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka), and Swedish Tosca Cake—each one just as easy and satisfying as this Kardemummakaka!
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The Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda - acts as a leavener in this recipe.
- Ground cardamom - Brings its quintessential warm, citrusy flavor.
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Large eggs
- Buttermilk
- Lemon juice - Works nicely with the cardamom and helps brighten the flavor of the cake.
See the recipe card below for exact amounts and detailed instructions.
How To Make Swedish Cardamom Cake (Kardemummakaka)
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 10 cup capacity bundt pan (alternatively you can spray the interior of the pan with a baking spray....a good thing to do when working with a bundt pan to prevent sticking).
- Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Combine the buttermilk and lemon juice together. Set aside.
- Step 3: Combine the butter and sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
- Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time. Finish with the egg yolk. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture followed by one-half of the buttermilk and lemon juice mixture. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and the last half of the buttermilk and lemon juice mixture. Finally, add the the last third of the flour mixture. Mix until JUST combined.
- Step 5: Transfer the cake batter to the prepared bundt pan. Smooth the top and give it a few good taps on the countertop to eliminate any bubbles. Place the filled pan on a baking sheet and slide it into the oven.
- Step 6: Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 7: Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake and flip it over, removing the pan and leaving the cake behind on the rack. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Step 8: Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Thoroughly grease and flour the pan OR use a baking spray to coat the interior. Bundt pans tend to contain nooks and crannies which, if not properly greased and floured (or coated with baking spray), can cause the cake to stick to the pan. Take the time upfront to ensure that your cake will come out cleanly.
- Don't over mix the batter. One of the keys to making a tender and moist cake is not over mixing once the flour has been introduced into the batter. Keep the mixer on low and mix until everything is JUST combined.
- Once you've transferred the batter to the cake pan, tap it on the counter a few times. This helps the thick batter settle into the pan and eliminates air bubbles.
- Flip the cake after 10 minutes of cooling time in the pan. Check to make sure that the edges are loose by giving it a little shake up and down. The cake should not be stuck to the pan and should move up and down as you shake it. If the cake seems to be stuck in spots, use a butter knife to carefully loosen the cake around the sides (and around the sides of the center hole) prior to inverting it. When you are ready to flip, simply place a wire rack over the top of the pan, invert the whole thing and set it on the counter. Tap the pan a few times to ensure that the cake has fully released and then carefully lift up the pan, leaving the cake behind.
Recipe FAQs
An easy trick for bring your eggs to room temperature in no time at all: Simply place the eggs in a bowl and cover them with warm (not hot) water. Let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the warm water and they will be ready to crack and use in your recipe!
This cake will keep for a couple of days at room temperature. Just be sure it is tightly wrapped after it cools completely.
Yes! This cake freezes very well. Once it has completely cooled, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and seal in a freezer bag. It will keep in the freezer for a couple of months.
What to Serve with Cardamom Cake (Kardemummakaka)
This is a lovely cake on its own with just a dusting of powdered sugar. If you want to dress it up a bit, you could accompany it with a dollop of Whipped Vanilla Skyr Cream and some fresh berries. You could also consider serving it with a fruit compote such as Apple Compote, Pear Compote, Blueberry Compote with Cardamom or this Strawberry Rhubarb Compote. These Roasted Strawberries would also be delicious!
Related Recipes
Looking for more simple Scandinavian-inspired cakes to enjoy with an afternoon cup of coffee? I've got several for you here on the blog:
If you tried this Swedish Cardamom Cake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Swedish Cardamom Cake (Kardemummakaka)
Equipment
- 10 cup capacity bundt pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 18 tablespoons 2 ¼ sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- Powdered sugar for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-cup capacity bundt pan OR spray the interior or the pan with baking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Combine buttermilk and lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine butter and granulated sugar in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time, allowing each one to fully incorporate into the batter before adding the next.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add one third of the flour mixture, followed by one half of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat, finishing with the flour mixture (do not over mix). Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Tap the pan on the counter a few tims to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Lay a wire cooling rack over the top of the pan and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the pan, leaving the cake behind. Cool the cake to room temperature and dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Ed Gunneson says
The recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of cardamon but I increased it to 1 1/2 Tablespoon. We like a bit extra of that cardamon flavor. Followed the recipe on all other points except buttermilk. It is almost Christmas so the local stores were sold out of buttermilk. I used 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and 1/4 cup of milk with an extra teaspoon of the lemon juice. Seemed to work well. Very nice crumb and crust.
Sandra Stenstrom Knight says
Can I use half brown sugar for sugar?
Kristi says
Sure! I think that would be really tasty.
Kelsey says
Such a yummy cake! I accidentally did salted butter so this came out to be a bit salty-sweet, which I loved, but I’m anxious to try again with unsalted butter next time. The crust was chewy/carmelized and the cake had wonderful cardamom flavor without being overpowering. The whole family loved it and it was a great alternative to cardamom buns which take much more time. Filed in my recipe box immediately ✔️
Kristi says
Glad you enjoyed the cake, Kelsey! An easy way to get that cardamom fix. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
Kristi
Gloria says
Made this cake today… perfect!
Kristi says
So glad you enjoyed it, Gloria! Thanks for your feedback!
Kristi
R says
Delicious! I made a bunch of adjustments in order to veganize it and wanted to share:
- subbed eggs for 4 flax eggs
- subbed butter for a combo of vegan butter and coconut oil
- used half cake flour and half all purpose
- added a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
- added 1 tsp vanilla
Cooked with same method and baked for 50 minutes, cooled for 10 like you say. It was perfect.
Topped with a glaze made of 1 cup icing sugar + 3 tbsp milk + 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
So good! I know I really was liberal with your recipe, but your recipe was the bones and I wanted to share to show you can totally veganize this recipe and it’ll come out amazing.
Kristi says
That is so great! Thanks for sharing your vegan version!
Kristi
Marcia says
Love this cake!
Kristi says
Hi Karen,
I think vanilla would be wonderful! Maybe start with 2 teaspoons? Let me know how it turns out!
Kristi
Karen Smith says
What do you think about adding some vanilla to this recipe? I’ve seen cardamom with vanilla in some other recipes. If so, what amount would you recommend? Your website and recipes are wonderful; tack!
Rebecca says
I decided tonight to start baking cardamom cakes for as long as it took for me to find the perfect recipe for a moist, fragrant cake. Well, it took me one day! This was delicious. I followed the recipe pretty exactly. I added perhaps a bit more than a Tablespoon of freshly ground cardamom (in a pepper grinder), and next time I make it I might even add a little bit more. I took it out of the oven when it was just barely done - about 53 minutes - which was perfect. I'm in Sweden so I used lowfat (0,5 %) filmjölk instead of buttermilk. As we say in Sweden - mums! Tack!
Kristi says
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks so much for your comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake. Happy baking!
Kristi
Ashley says
This cake was fantastic, easy to make and turned out delicious. I can't wait to try more of your recipes. And I will definitely make this cake again.
Kristi says
Hi Ashley,
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the feedback. Please let me know what else you try!
Kristi
Donna says
I do not have a Bundt pan here in the UK Can I I use cake tines?
Kristi says
Hi Donna,
Thanks for your question! You can use 2 9-inch cake pans or 2 9 x 5 loaf pans instead of the bundt pan. They will not take as long to bake though so make sure you are checking the cakes for doneness around the 30 minute mark or so. Hope this helps!
Kristi