Diamond Cut Cardamom Cake

by Marjan

Cardamom is sometimes referred to as the 'happy spice' reflective of one of its many natural benefits. Therefore, one bite of my diamond cut cardamom syrup cake will put 'happy' in this holiday season celebrations. 

This moist and delicious cake is not served in slices rather cut into diamond shape individual servings. Unescapable cardamom taste and smell will rapture your senses with heavenly bites from the far East. Just try to have only one piece! Not possible!

Cardamom is used in a majority of Persian desserts; sheer-berenj, cake, cookies and many more delicious recipes. For us, cardamom is equivalent to vanilla in the Western world. Undeniably fragrant, this third most expensive spice is worth its price tag based on all of it's nutritional benefits: gastrointestinal protection, prevents colorectal cancer, promotes heart and blood circulation health, antidepressant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, and helps regulate both cholesterol and heart beat.

So what makes this recipe special? Not only is cardamom baked into each diamond cut, but it is also enriched in a sweet simple syrup poured over the cake. Moist and fragrant, each bite is dense with flavorful delight. Travel to the East with each delicious bite!

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs; room temperature

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup canola oil

butter to grease pan

Syrup:

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon rosewater
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

 9"x13" rectangular cake pan
Optional: almond or pistachio slivers for decoration

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease cake pan heavily with butter.
Using an electric mixer at medium speed, whip eggs, sugar, vanilla and cardamom for 6-8 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whip yogurt, oil and baking soda until creamy.
In a separate bowl, swift flour with baking powder.
Add yogurt to egg mix and combine for 2 minutes over medium speed. Add flour and mix for no longer than a minute, just until flour is combined. Over mixing will render a flat cake.

Pour cake mix onto pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove cake and while still warm, gently flip over unto wire cooling grid. Carefully flip cake over once again for top baked to be up. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium size sauce pan, add sugar, water, and cardamom. Bring to gentle boil over medium low heat. Once sugar has melted completely into a clear syrup, add lemon juice and rosewater. Turn heat off and cool.

To cut, use a large serrated knife. Cut 6-7 straight, equal sized lines from one length end to the other. Then cut 14-16 straight, equal lines from one edge to the other edge to reveal diamond shaped serving pieces of cake. Place diamond slices onto serving platter. Spoon syrup gently over each piece. Finish decorating with almond or pistachio slivers.