Spiced Brown Butter & Honey Cardamom Cake

Imagine a cozy, golden-hued cake that’s as comforting as a warm hug and as sophisticated as your favorite café treat. Meet the Brown Butter Honey Cake with Cardamom Glaze—your new baking obsession!

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This petite 6-inch cake packs a big flavor punch, featuring beautifully nutty browned butter, sweet aromatic honey, and warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom. The secret here is browning the butter, which elevates the cake’s flavor from delicious to downright dreamy, infusing every bite with a delicate nuttiness.

But we’re not stopping there—this heavenly cake gets drizzled generously with a luxurious Cardamom Glaze. Infused with the subtle, exotic fragrance of freshly crushed cardamom pods, this glaze adds just the right touch of sweetness and spice, turning every slice into a gourmet experience.

Perfectly sized for an intimate dessert or special occasion, this cake pairs wonderfully with a cozy cup of tea or coffee. Top it off with toasted almonds, crunchy pistachios, or even a sprinkle of sea salt for that perfect finishing touch.

Ready to make your kitchen smell incredible and impress anyone lucky enough to grab a slice? Let’s bake!

Ingredients

For the Cake

¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter
¼ cup (85g) honey
¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (60g) Greek yogurt or sour cream
¾ cup (94g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Cardamom Glaze:

½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
Cardomom powder from 2 crushed pods
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it turns golden brown and smells nutty, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
Mix wet ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the honey, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and Greek yogurt. Slowly whisk in the slightly cooled brown butter.
Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom (plus orange zest if using).
Combine: Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
Bake: Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 6-inch cake pan. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Glaze

Infuse the milk: Heat the milk or cream in a small saucepan until warm (not boiling). Add the cardamom powder.
Mix the glaze: Whisk together the cardamom milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Adjust consistency with more milk if needed.
Finish: Once the cake is fully cooled, drizzle with the cardamom glaze. Optionally, top with
toasted almonds or pistachios and sea salt

Notes

Toast almonds on a dry pan until fragrant.

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