Clementine and Cardamom Cake

I think that a Lemon Drizzle Cake is about one of the loveliest tea-time anythings that anyone could ever hope to eat. So then, this little twist on that, my friends, is to me as close to cake heaven as one can get. Exquisite in its simplicity, unadorned with icing or anything fancy schmancy, it’s a cake that stands proudly on any tea table, bringing with it the intoxicating aromas of clementines and cardamom.

I always find cardamom to be one of the most transporting fragrances in food, and one of those spices that travels seamlessly between sweet and savory dishes. It’s essential to many curries, and is just as delicious in sweet treats such as in this little cake, or panna cotta or spiced syrups for drizzling over all manner of pudding lovelies, and so much more. One of my favourite memories of the spice comes from a visit to Zanzibar a few years ago, where they drink spiced Zanzibari tea made up of cardamom, cinnamon, lemongrass and mint by the litre at the night markets. Surprisingly, it’s also a spice that is well loved in Scandinavian cooking.

Green cardamom, also known as ‘true cardamom’ is native to India and surrounding areas, is now grown commercially in Guatemala, and is actually the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla. Black cardamom, slightly smokier than it’s green rival, is mainly grown in Asia and Australia.

And, if you’d like to try a variation on this cake, you could use clementines along with 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary instead of the cardamom. Or opt for lemon and lavender using lemons where you see clementines below, and adding in 1 tsp lavender flowers to the batter.