Cardamom Yoghurt Cake
Ingredients
- 250 g (9oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 225 g (8oz) caster sugar
- juice and finely grated zest of 1⁄2 large or 1 small orange
- 1 tsp freshly ground cardamom seeds (from about 12–14 pods) or 1 tsp ready- ground cardamom
- 4 eggs
- 225 ml (8fl oz) natural yoghurt
- 1.50 tsp baking powder
- 350 g (12oz) plain flour
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 75 g (3oz) fresh raspberries, to decorate
- for the icing
- 225 g (8oz) icing sugar, sifted
- 1⁄4 tsp ready-ground cardamom or the ground seeds of 5 cardamom pods
- 25–30ml (1–11⁄4 fl oz) natural yoghurt
- 2.50 l (41⁄3 pint) bundt tin
Method
- Preheat the oven to
180°C (350°F/Gas 4), and butter the bundt tin. If you’re using a
standard type of cake tin, butter the sides and line the base with a
disc of baking parchment. Cream the butter until soft in a large bowl or
in an electric food mixer. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is
light and fluffy.
- Next, beat in the
orange juice and zest and the ground cardamom. Add the eggs one at a
time, beating well between each addition, then mix in the yoghurt. Next
sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, folding in just until
combined.
- Tip the batter into
the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula or palette knife.
Bake the cake for 50–55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the
centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for just
5 minutes, then, if using a bundt tin, place a wire rack on the top and
invert the cake so it is upside down, then remove the tin, turn upright
again and leave to cool on the wire rack.
- As the cake cools,
make the icing. Beat together the icing sugar, cardamom and 25ml (1fl
oz) of the yoghurt, adding a tiny bit more yoghurt if the mixture seems
too stiff. (It should be a thick drizzling consistency: too thin and the
icing will slide off the cake – too thick and you won’t be able to
drizzle it.)
- Place the cake on a
cake stand or serving plate, then drizzle the icing backwards and
forwards from the centre to the outside of the cake in a zigzag pattern
(or in zigzags across the top if it’s been made in a standard tin).
Decorate with the raspberries immediately while the icing is still wet
so they stick to the icing.
