These days I enjoy making simple cakes and cakes that do not need a lot of time to prepare. It does not matter how often I bake but every time I am amazed that mixing a few ingredients can make something delicious as cake. It is pure magic. 
Nowadays you can find me in the kitchen before 7 a.m. and making cakes, muffins and cookies. While the cake or whatever I am making is in the oven, I take a shower, prepare my breakfast and when I am done with my morning routine my cake is done. I feel this is such a good start in the day, puts me in a good mood  and it gives me the feeling that I have already accomplished something. Then I take a few photos for my blog and in the evening I prepare the recipe for my blog.
But let’s talk about this cake. If you do not like cardamom, then I am sorry. But if you like cardamom, then you will like this cake. Here and there I used cardamom in dishes (baked pears with whipped cream and ground cardamom is delicious) and cardamom is probably known to many people because of Indian chai tea.
I became obsessed with cardamom a few years ago when I went to an Afghan restaurant and I had a cream pudding with crushed cardamom  seeds for desert. This was the moment when my love to cardamom began. It seems I like expensive spices because after saffron and vanilla – two spices which I love a lot - cardamom is the third most expensive spice.
For me this cake is the perfect afternoon tea cake and it is a good way to cure the winter blues.
Makes 1 cake (20 cm  /  9 inch)

INGREDIENTS

  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 1 egg, medium size
  • 140 g granulated sugar
  • 240 g pastry flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 150 ml whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon almonds, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons of pearl sugar 

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
  • Butter and flour a cake pan (20 cm / 9 inch).
  • Melt the butter and let it cool.
  • In the meantime beat the egg and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the flour, baking powder and cardamom. Add the flour mixture, melted butter and milk to the egg-sugar mixture.
  • Pour the batter into the baking pan.
  • Sprinkle the top with pearl sugar and the roughly chopped almonds.
  • Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes. If you put a toothpick into the cake and it comes out clear, the cake is done.
  • Let it cool; remove from the cake pan. Enjoy.