The Ultimate Cardamom Bun Coffee Cake Recipe: Soft, Spiced, and Irresistible

This Cardamom Bun Coffee Cake recipe started as an experiment inspired by Moravian Sugar Cake. While I love my original Moravian Sugar Cake recipe, I wanted to explore a cardamom-flavored variation. The result is a delightful coffee cake with a unique twist, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or any time you crave a sweet treat!

This 7×11 inch coffee cake boasts an incredibly soft texture. The crumb is pillowy and light, while the topping offers a satisfying crunch with a blend of sugar and spice. For an extra layer of flavor, consider adding raspberry preserves and chocolate chips, as pictured above. This adds a touch of fruity sweetness and chocolatey indulgence that perfectly complements the cardamom spice.

Achieving the Perfect Soft Texture

Just like in Moravian Sugar Cake, a crucial ingredient in this Cardamom Bun Cake is mashed potato flakes. Potato flakes might seem like an unusual ingredient in a cake, but they play a vital role in creating that signature pillowy, soft crumb. Using all-purpose flour instead of bread flour further contributes to the tenderness, making it easy to enjoy every bite with a fork. I also incorporated a touch of shortening into the dough. While butter can be used as a substitute, shortening helps the characteristic dough craters maintain their shape during baking, allowing more of the delicious melted butter topping to seep down and infuse the cake with flavor. Don’t worry about missing out on butter flavor – there’s plenty drizzled over the top!

Choosing the Right Pan Size

Similar to Moravian Sugar Cake, this coffee cake is intentionally designed to be thinner, creating a delightful balance between the generous sugary topping and the soft crumb below. Therefore, a 7×11 inch or a 9-inch square pan works best for achieving the ideal proportions. You can certainly use an 8-inch square pan if that’s what you have on hand, but keep in mind that the cake will be slightly thicker, resulting in a higher ratio of plain cake to the flavorful spiced sugar topping. Personally, I’ve found that the 7×11 inch “brownie pans” from Dollar Tree are perfect for this recipe. They provide the right size and depth for a beautifully balanced cardamom bun coffee cake.

The Secret to a Light and Airy Crumb: Stretch and Fold

The kneading method I employed for this recipe differs slightly from traditional bread-making techniques. Since developing strong gluten isn’t a primary goal in this yeasted cake, I only kneaded the dough for about 2 minutes initially. My aim was to create a really soft, light crumb with airy pockets, so instead of simply allowing the dough to rise for a standard hour, I incorporated three sets of “stretch and folds,” with a 20-minute resting period between each set. This process resulted in a total rising time of 1 hour, followed by a final 30-minute rise directly in the pan. The stretch and fold technique helps to develop the dough’s structure gently, creating those desirable air pockets and contributing to the overall lightness of the cake. The longer rise helps develop the flavors and provides a more even bake.

Exploring Cardamom Cake Variations

My family has a deep appreciation for cardamom. In fact, my son, Fuzz, recently traveled to Copenhagen and couldn’t stop raving about the cardamom buns he encountered there, which served as a major source of inspiration for this recipe. So, if you’re a cardamom enthusiast like us, feel free to embrace it wholeheartedly! However, if cardamom isn’t your preference, you can easily substitute it with cinnamon. In that case, you’ll essentially be creating a delicious variation of Moravian Sugar Cake.

If you’re torn between cinnamon and cardamom, why not experiment with a combination of both? For the cake pictured in the photos, I divided the topping and used cardamom sugar on one half and cinnamon sugar on the other. This allows everyone to choose their preferred flavor profile. As I mentioned earlier, adding raspberry preserves and chocolate chips was a spontaneous idea, but it honestly elevates the cake to a whole new level! Any flavor of fruit preserves would work beautifully, so feel free to use your favorite. Another intriguing idea would be to poke small chunks of cold cream cheese into the dimples before baking for a tangy and creamy surprise.

Freezing for Future Enjoyment

I’m striving to perfect these cakes in the hope of impressing my German ancestors when I eventually meet them in the afterlife. Fortunately, these cakes (not the ancestors!) freeze remarkably well. To freeze, allow the cake to cool completely after baking. Then, carefully lift it from the pan and cut it into 6 or 8 generous squares. Place 2 or 4 squares together on sheets of plastic wrap and wrap them tightly, ensuring they’re well-sealed. Freeze until the squares are solid, then transfer the frozen, wrapped squares into a heavy-duty freezer bag for long-term storage. When you’re ready to enjoy a slice, simply thaw it at room temperature or warm it slightly in the oven or microwave.

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