Gluten Free Cardamom Rose Cake

This gluten-free cardamom cake recipe is inspired by my dada's (paternal grandfather)semolina cake recipe, also called Roadh in India. Infused with rose water and spiced with cardamom, this cake will make you forget the refined flour, gluten-rich cakes you're used to. 

Why you’ll want to make this cardamom cake

• If you are trying to avoid gluten but yearn to eat baked goods that have the same texture as their gluten-rich counterparts, then you’ll love this gluten-free version.
• It is made with minimal, real food ingredients.
• The flavor mimics halwa and kheer, yet it is a lot lighter than typical South Asian desserts.
• It is extremely versatile. It can be made as a tea cake by dusting it with some powdered sugar or made richer and grander by icing it with plain butter cream.

Ingredient Notes

Almond flour. Use blanched almond flour rather than almond meal. It is finer and results in better texture.

Arrowroot flour. This gives the fluffy texture most desired in cakes.

Butter and eggs. At room temperature.

Cane sugar. I usually use coconut sugar for baked goods, but they turn out darker in color with drier results. Because I wanted to emulate the look of a regular semolina cake, I have used cane sugar. Although cane sugar is not genetically modified, like regular beet sugar, it still contains sucrose, so you will want to eat it in moderation.

Rose water and cardamom. These give the signature South Indian flavor to the cake. You can find rose water and arrowroot flour at any South Asian or Middle Eastern grocery store, so don’t forget to check them out. If, for some reason, you can’t get your hands on rose water, use vanilla extract instead.

Let’s bake!

Baking, let alone gluten-free baking, can be tricky, but if you follow a few simple tips, the final product will be perfect and consistent every time.

Bring butter and eggs to room temperature. Before you begin, remove your eggs and butter and bring them to room temperature. This ensures a good foundation for your cake’s structure

Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a mortar, add the cardamom pods, tap down with the pestle, and remove the skin. Continue to crush the seeds to a fine powder and add this to the dry ingredients. Now, whisk everything together till fully incorporated.

Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl with a hand beater, whisk the softened butter and the sugar till combined. Next, add the eggs one at a time and beat till fully incorporated. Once all the eggs are combined, add the rose water and set aside.

Combine the wet and dry: Gradually add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet mixture. Stir with a spatula to incorporate fully before adding more of the flour mixture.

Pour into the cake pan: Once everything is combined, pour the batter into the lined cake pan, tap it once or twice to settle the batter.

Preheat the oven: While the oven preheats, let the cake mixture rest.

Bake: Place in the oven and watch the cake as oven temperatures can vary. Test the doneness by inserting a toothpick and having it come out clean.

Cool completely: Remove and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it and cooling it on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before dusting it with powdered sugar, chopped pistachios, and rose petals. Or icing it if desired.

Variations

You can make this cake dairy-free by substituting the butter with ghee, avocado, or refined coconut oil.

If you can’t find arrowroot flour, you can swap it for tapioca starch in this recipe.

How to make it dressier for a dinner party

You can double the recipe and use two 9-inch cake pans for a two-tier cake. Here I tripled the recipe to add some drama, and the result was just beautiful. I made cream cheese frosting and placed it between the cakes, on top, and the outside edges to give the “naked” cake look. I bought a fake rose from a craft store and used that to decorate the cake, and then finished it off with powdered sugar and chopped pistachios.

How to store

You can store the unfrosted cardamom cake on the countertop for up to 4 days, but it won’t last that long!

If you want to make it ahead and freeze it, cool it completely, and then wrap the cake in plastic wrap and foil. Put it into a zip-top freezer-safe bag and seal it well. It should be fine for up to a month.