Cardamom Streusel Cake

My mom makes crepes for her ponnukokurs (thanks for the recipe, mom!) with cardamom. It's such a warm spice. I really love the smell. But there wasn't anything else I used it for until now. Here is a coffee cake that makes cardamom the star. The recipe calls for an angel food cake pan. I don't have one, so I used a bundt pan, and it worked just fine.

photo by Emily Hale

Cardamom Streusel Cake

for the streusel:
3/4 tsp cardamom
2 3/4 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 C) unsalted butter, softened
for the cake:
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 C) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 C suar
3 eggs
1 1/4 C low-fat plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. For the streusel, combine flour, sugar, cardamom and salt. Cut in butter until small balls form. Set aside
For the cake, spray an angel food cake pan with cooking spray, set aside. Sift together flour, powder, soda, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Slowly add flour mixture and yogurt alternately. Mix in vanilla.
Spoon half the batter into the pan, then sprinkle 2 cups of the streusel. Add the rest of the batter and spread lightly. Clump the rest of the streusel unto large and small balls and place on top of the final batter layer. Press down slightly.
Bake until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean, about 50 -60 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. Invert onto a baking sheet and reinvert onto a rack to cool completely.

from Martha Stewart Living, January '06