Cardamom and chocolate cake

A few weeks into lockdown, I realised: 1) my comfort in trying new recipes and experimenting with favourite dishes was going to serve me very well during this time; 2) my cupboards, full of odd bags of flour, grains, beans, and spices, and my fridge, stocked with jars of miso, hot sauce, ghee, sauerkraut, and jam would likewise be a boon; and 3) I was really missing eggs to bring these odds and ends together. I couldn’t face going into a big supermarket, so I kept my eyes out for eggs while I was taking my walks around the neighbourhood. It didn’t take me long to spy the unmistakable pink crates of Cacklebean eggs at HARA, a café that sold food staples, pastries, and a limited menu during lockdown.

I got to know HARA’s co-founder, Kiara Devika Galardi, a little as I stopped by every week for six...sometimes a dozen...eggs. I was impressed by Kiara’s food and resourcefulness, and I was so grateful she was open that I wanted to give something back to her that featured the eggs I was so lucky to buy from her café. I also wanted to make something special to bike over to Akshay, which meant I needed to bake something with chocolate and a perfect crunch. A cardamom cake in Niloufer Ichaporia King’s My Bombay Kitchen caught my eye.

King borrows her cardamom cake recipe from a Swedish friend, Ragnhild Langlet. I reduce the quantity of sugar slightly, add cocoa nibs for extra crunch, and mix in shards of dark chocolate for an extra chocolate hit. King describes it as ‘cake perfection’ in her book. I feel the same way and I felt proud to share it with Kiara and Akshay.

In April I moved in with Akshay and I moved away from HARA, thus losing easy access to that great café...and Cacklebean eggs. Akshay could see how much I loved the eggs so he searched and searched and finally found a place that could deliver them to us. When the eggs arrived, he said the best thing I could do with them was to make the cardamom chocolate cake again. I’ve made and tweaked the recipe three more times in our new home, and I like to think I’ve perfected it. It’s the tastiest thing I’ve baked this year, and now here it is, in recipe form, waiting for you to bring it in to your kitchen and heart.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar for the pan

• 2-3 tbsp cocoa nibs

• 4 large eggs

• 200g golden caster sugar

• 150g unsalted butter

• 1-2 tbsp cardamom pods

• 160g plain flour (or 100g plain and 50g wholemeal flour)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 70g dark chocolate, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Butter and line a 6-cup large muffin tin or 20cm (8in) spring form cake tin. Scatter the two tablespoons of sugar over the base of the pan, followed by 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa nibs. The sugar creates a slightly crunchy cake exterior.

2. Heat the oven to 175C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture becomes thick and pale and has almost tripled in volume. This will take at least five minutes, even if you have an electric whisk.

4. Melt the butter and set aside.

5. Crack the seeds out of the cardamom pods. Grind the cardamom seeds roughly so you leave some of the seeds whole. Mix this into the melted butter to help infuse it with the cardamom flavour.

6. Gently stir the flour and salt into the egg mixture. Then fold in the butter, cardamom, and shards of chocolate.

7. Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Pierce the cake with a skewer to check it comes back dry. Another good check for the cake’s doneness is that, when you lightly press the cake with your finger, it springs back.

8. Remove cake(s) from oven, leave in the pan for a few minutes and then remove the cake(s) from your pan and allow to cool before serving.