Sourdough Cardamom Blueberry Coffee/Tea Cake
Cardamom is one of my favorite spices. I love to find different ways to use it. However cardamom is also one of the more pricier spices especially if you buy organic. Knowing I wanted to use cardamom for my cake recipe I checked my spice shelf to make sure I had enough cardamom. It turned out I only had a pinch of cardamom left. So that meant a trip to my local market.
Normally I buy spices already ground up but looking at the $10.00 price tag for ground cardamom at the market gave me complete sticker shock. I started thinking maybe I can just use cinnamon for the cake but me being stubborn, I knew that wasn’t going to work. I wanted cardamom and when I put my mind to something especially when creating a recipe, nothing can change it. Then a lightbulb turn on. I realized I had cardamom pods at home. I could just take out my handy dandy mortar and pestle, go the old school route and grind them up myself. That solved my dilemma and helped my pockets :). But before I go into my grinding cardamom experience first let’s first talk a little bit about cardamom, the origins and the benefits of this great warming spice.
Cardamom
Cardamom is considered to be the third most expensive spice in the world following right after vanilla and saffron (which explains that ten dollar jar at the store). It belongs to the same herb family as ginger and turmeric and is native to South India. There are two main types of cardamom, green cardamom and black cardamom. Green cardamom is the most popular and sold in supermarkets. This cardamom is grown in tropical areas like Malaysia, Costa Rica and India. Green cardamom is used to spice sweet dishes. It’s also medicinally used for digestion, relieving heart burn, helping with infection of gums and teeth. It also helps with depression, which I can see that happening because every time I smell cardamom it lifts my spirits.:) Black cardamom is brown with larger pods. This cardamom has a smoky flavor and is used more in savory dishes. Black cardamom has tons of antioxidants and can also ward of certain types of cancer. Just like green cardamom it can help with digestion. This cardamom is normally grown in the Himalayas.
My Experience Grinding Cardamom
After realizing I had cardamom pods I could grind myself, I headed home to pull out my mortar and pestle. I didn’t do research on grinding the cardamom before starting and I should have. My method was removing the seeds from the pods by cracking the pods, grinding the seeds, throwing away the pods and using a sifter to sift out all the big pieces.
Later I found out while researching for this blog post that there’s a couple of things I could have done differently. (1) I could have first toasted the cardamom pods in a skillet to release some of the flavor which makes the seeds more intense before grinding. (2) I could have saved time and instead of removing the seeds from the pods (which took a while), I could have ground up the pods with the seeds and used the entire cardamom pod. Also instead of throwing away the pods I should have saved them to use to add flavor to tea blends. Next time I grind cardamom I definitely will be toasting the pods first and then grinding up the whole pod.
The Difference
The flavor of freshly ground cardamom has so much more flavor than the already ground cardamom. And it makes sense. We don’t know how long already ground spices have been sitting on the supermarket’s shelf. As well as how much spice flavor is loss sitting in the glass jars underneath the market’s fluorescent lighting. I’ve decided to start grinding a lot more of my spices. I can definitely taste the difference. Even though grinding spices is a little time consuming, you can taste the difference due to the flavors being more intense. The extra step is most certainly worth the work.
**side note a spice grinder will safe you time, unfortunately mine burned out during my stevia post. 🙁 I’m on the hunt for a new one. I’ll keep you posted to which one I get.
On To The Recipe
This sourdough cardamom blueberry cake is completely plant based, meaning no eggs, butter or milk. It’s also low in sugar. There’s only four tablespoons of maple syrup to be exact. The cardamom comes through strongly in this cake matching beautifully with the blueberries. Don’t be scared off by the coconut oil used for this cake, there’s no coconut flavor. I use my favorite coconut oil which is organic, unrefined virgin coconut oil. And using sourdough starter in the batter works very nicely. It does a great job at making the cake light and fluffy. If you have a sourdough starter on hand I really hope you try this cake. You will not be disappointed. And if you don’t have a starter. Start one now and in about 7 days you’ll be ready to bake this cake! 🙂
AuthorDesireeCategoryBreakfast, Easy Recipes, SourdoughDifficultyIntermediateThis quick and easy to make sourdough cardamom blueberry cake is so moist and delicious! It's low in sugar and makes a great addition to a brunch or as a great afternoon snack with a cup of tea.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make your flaxseed egg by mixing 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed and 3 Tablespoons of filtered water together and set to the side.
Make sure your starter has been fed and it's bubbly. After it's feeding it normally takes 4 to 5 hours for it to be bubbly. The starter should be the consistency of a thick pourable pancake batter.
In one bowl place the cup of einkorn flour, cardamom, baking soda and sea salt. Whisk all together.
Pour a cup of starter into the flour mixture and add the coconut oil, milk, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and flax seed egg
Mix all together and fold in the blueberries.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased pan. I used an 11 inch round pan. But you can use a 9 x 12 inch pan if you have that, it might take less time to bake so you might need to adjust the baking time.. Let the batter sit in a warm place for 40 minutes to let rise.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sticking a toothpick in the middle to make sure it comes out clean.
Let the cake cool and slice to eat.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make your flaxseed egg by mixing 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed and 3 Tablespoons of filtered water together and set to the side.
Make sure your starter has been fed and it's bubbly. After it's feeding it normally takes 4 to 5 hours for it to be bubbly. The starter should be the consistency of a thick pourable pancake batter.
In one bowl place the cup of einkorn flour, cardamom, baking soda and sea salt. Whisk all together.
Pour a cup of starter into the flour mixture and add the coconut oil, milk, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and flax seed egg
Mix all together and fold in the blueberries.
Pour the batter into a lightly greased pan. I used an 11 inch round pan. But you can use a 9 x 12 inch pan if you have that, it might take less time to bake so you might need to adjust the baking time.. Let the batter sit in a warm place for 40 minutes to let rise.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sticking a toothpick in the middle to make sure it comes out clean.
Let the cake cool and slice to eat.
Notes
References
https://www.alux.com/most-expensive-spices-in-the-world/3/
