This cardamom and rosewater saffron cake has a soft yogurt crumb and a fragrance that arrives before the first bite. Rose water supplies the floral note, cardamom adds warmth, and brewed saffron gives the sponge its golden colour without making it heavy.
The recipe works best when those flavours support one another. Too much rose water can taste perfumed, while saffron added as dry threads may remain unevenly distributed. Measure the aromatics, brew the saffron first and fold the flour gently.
In practical terms, this is both a rose water cake and a cardamom saffron cake. Someone looking for a cake with rose water may also see it described as a rose and cardamom cake, or more briefly as a rose cardamom cake, but saffron is essential to this version’s colour and flavour.
Ingredients for an 18 cm cake
- 1¾ cups plain flour, spooned into the cup and levelled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup plain yogurt, at room temperature
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons culinary rose water
- 1 tablespoon brewed saffron, cooled
- 1 teaspoon finely ground cardamom
- A little butter or oil for the tin
A tablespoon of baking powder is the amount in the original cake. If your baking powder is particularly strong or your measuring spoon is generous, level it carefully; excess leavener can make a cake rise quickly and then sink.
Before you mix the batter
Take the eggs and yogurt out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Grease an 18 cm round cake tin and line its base with baking paper. Heat the oven to 180°C conventional, or 160°C fan.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. You do not need to sift three times, but mixing them thoroughly matters because it prevents pockets of baking powder in the finished sponge.
How to make saffron cardamom cake
1. Aerate the eggs and sugar
Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick and falls from the beaters in a ribbon. Mix in the vanilla. This stage builds much of the cake’s lightness, so give it time.
2. Add the liquids and aromatics
With the mixer on low, stream in the oil. Add the yogurt and mix only until smooth. Stir in the rose water, brewed saffron and ground cardamom. Scrape the sides and base of the bowl so the colour is even.
3. Fold in the flour
Add the flour mixture in two or three portions. Use a spatula to fold from the bottom of the bowl, turning it as you work. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. Vigorous or prolonged mixing at this point develops gluten and knocks out the air you created in the eggs.
4. Bake and cool
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. Begin checking at 38 minutes because ovens vary. The cake is ready when the centre springs back lightly and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
Let it stand in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it onto a rack. Wait until the cake is completely cool before slicing; cutting it hot can compress the tender centre.
How to keep the cake light
- Use room-temperature eggs and yogurt so the batter emulsifies smoothly.
- Check that the baking powder is in date and has been stored dry.
- Beat the eggs and sugar until genuinely thick rather than relying only on baking powder.
- Fold the flour slowly and stop as soon as it disappears.
- Use the recommended 18 cm tin. A much wider tin produces a thin cake and changes the baking time.
- Do not open the oven during the early rise.
Serving and storage
This rosewater cake needs no heavy frosting. A light dusting of icing sugar, a few pistachios or plain yogurt on the side lets the saffron and cardamom remain clear. If you add dried rose petals, use only petals sold for culinary use.
Keep the cooled cake covered at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerate it in warm weather. Bring chilled slices back to room temperature before serving so the crumb softens and the rose, cardamom and saffron aromas can open again.
