Rose and Cardamom Cake – Gluten free

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Oh my gosh, I almost don’t want to share this recipe for a couple of reasons… One, its because it’s so freaking tasty. Two is, it has a delicious buttery flavor but without the butter. I think its the eggs that give it that creamy taste. And three, it’s so bloody fast and easy to make, it’s literally whipped up in minutes using a hand held whisk. Last but not least, it hasn’t an ounce of gluten in it!! I kid you not. You’re going to love it!

A round cake with a glazed top, decorated with pink rose petals, placed on a glass cake stand, surrounded by small cardamom pods and a dried rose on the table.

I do say if you do have a nut allergy this is not the cake for you as finely ground almond flour is used in this recipe. As for the gluten free flour, I absolutely love to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1. It really is a godsend gift in my opinion. It works really well in most baking recipes. The trick is to let the cake batter stand for a couple of minutes to absorb any liquids before scraping into a baking tin.

Rose Cardamom Cake Gluten Free

  • Difficulty: easy
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For the cake

You will need:

  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup almond flour, finely ground
  • 1/4 cup gluten free flour (Bob’s 1 to 1 gluten free blend)
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • large pinch of salt

To make

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Liberally grease a 8 inch round baking pan. Set aside.
  3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Beat them well with a handheld whisk. You can also use a fork, if you must.
  4. Pour in the sugar and whisk briskly for about 30 seconds.
  5. Add the avocado oil, vanilla essence and cardamom and whisk to combine.
  6. Toss in the almond flour, gluten free flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in with a spatula and then whisk until a smooth pourable batter forms, about a minute. Let the batter sit for a minute.
  7. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan.
  8. Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean. The cake should look a lovely golden brown.
  9. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.
  10. Slowly loosen the sides of the cake and turn onto a wire rack to completely cool.

For the Rose Glaze

You will need:

  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1/8 cup of water
  • 3-4 drops of rose essence
  • 2 – 3 drops of edible pink color (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon edible dried rose petals (preferably organic)
  • large pinch of cardamom powder (optional)

To make:

  1. Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk till smooth.
  2. Turn the cooled cake onto a platter.
  3. Slowly drizzle the rose glaze onto the cake and guide it to gently drip down the sides.
  4. Sprinkle with rose petals and ground cardamom (if using).
Find these ingredients on my list of Baking essentials on Amazon –>

Two decorative cakes on a wooden surface, one topped with rose petals and powdered sugar, the other frosted with icing and adorned with a small flower.

Honestly, there no need to add frosting if you don’t feel like it. This cake works well on its own, especially when paired with a hot cup of coffee or milky black tea. Go on try this recipe, you won’t be disappointed.

Find these ingredients on my list of Baking essentials on Amazon
A round cake topped with pink rose petals and dusted with powdered sugar, displayed on a glass plate. Several vanilla pods and cardamom pods are scattered around on a wooden surface.
Cardamom Cake without the Rose Glaze – Simply dusted with Icing Sugar and strewn with fresh Rose Petals.

Mustard Seeds In My Spice Cupboard

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Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds (rai) have a pungent and slightly tangy flavor. Mustard seeds are used extensively in Indian cooking to flavor many dishes. 

There are 3 types of mustard seeds – white, brown and black. I use the black variety, the smallest and the most flavorful. Brown mustard seeds can be used instead. However, they don’t have as much of the pungent bite as the smaller black seeds.

Black mustard seeds primarily used in Asian cooking tend to lend a good bite to the food. These dark little orbs are mostly used as a tempering spice either at the very beginning or the at the very last stage in the cooking process.

After it’s been tempered the soft but pungent mustardy flavor mingles with the food and imparts a smokiness to the dish. This mighty flavorful seed is almost always paired with either cumin, fenugreek or fresh curry leaves when tempered.

Fresh curry leaves and spices bubbling in a frying pan.
Mustard seeds tempered with cumin, fenugreek and fresh curry leaves.

A close-up view of a bowl filled with small black and brown mustard seeds.
Brown Mustard Seeds

Brown Mustard Seeds Besides being widely used to cook with, this brown variety is the mustard seed of choice when used to make dijon mustard.

Its lighter counterpart, the White Mustard Seed (pictured below) is used to make yellow American mustard that we typically see doused onto hotdogs and burgers. I do enjoy drizzling this yellow condiment onto fresh hot philly pretzels too, super yum.

White Mustard Seeds
White Mustard Seeds

Split Mustard Seeds (rai kuria) are the kernels of the skinned mustard seeds. These seeds are lightly crushed to split the seeds. Then the dark skin is removed, leaving behind silky and oily looking yellow discs.

A close-up of a white bowl filled with yellow lentils, placed on a wooden surface, with a brown textured bowl and woven fabric in the background.
Split Mustard Seeds (Rai Kuria)

The most common indian recipe I make using this silky daffodil-yellow seed is Raito, a green chillie pickle. Raito is a great accompaniment to any India main course or chopped up into a fresh salad to give it a good bite. I particularly love it tucked into a turkey sandwich dotted with cranberry sauce.

A small white bowl filled with brown sugar on a wooden table, with a blurred background of plants and a decorative box.

So there you have it. I’ve just skimmed the surface of the pungent spice. There’s so much more to it. I’ve heard my mum talk about the healing properties of it to much extent. She did mention that if we heated some oil and then made a paste with mustard powder it was great for inflamed bones. It’s also claimed to be great for coughs too. A post for a diffrent time. Hope you enjoy this post and found it helpful.

Buy Mustard seeds on My Amazon Store …

Best Cooking Oils: What to Use and Avoid

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“Oh my … I have no idea what oil to use anymore!”, exclaimed a friend one day. “Can you make a blog post on this? It’s driving me crazy!” she literally cried. I hear this countless of times. Everyone is just exasperated by what oils to use. Is olive oil okay to heat or not? Is grapeseed oil okay to cook with? One minute it is okay and then the next minute it isn’t?!? But fear no more! I’m here to help.

A handful of oils I use in my cooking escapades are avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, and butter for daily cooking, along with mustard and sesame oil occasionally. For salads, I prefer toasted sesame oil or vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil, and I use peanut oil or ghee for deep frying.

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Quality Ingredients: My Go-To Pantry Picks

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Hi Everyone!

Hope you all are doing well and cooking up a storm in your kitchens. With all that is going on in the world at the moment, I feel my kitchen is my only sanctity. I, time and time again find myself lost in whisking away a batter to make a tasty treat or whipping up a delicious afternoon tea cake for friends and family. And in turn, I keep turning to my pantry for the clean ingredients I use and trust to feed those around me.

My Pantry Essentials

Which reminds me that over the years, many readers and clients have asked which ingredients and brands I keep in my own kitchen. So, I’ve created a dedicated space on the site where I’ve gathered the ingredients and products I use regularly at home. These are brands I’ve come to trust over time and chosen for their quality, sourcing, and simplicity. It’s all in one place for you to explore.

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Pistachio & Brown Butter Icing Cake

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This delicious and moist tea cake has a beautiful soft crumble. When paired with the brown butter icing, be warned – it can be deliciously addictive! A thick slab of this undeniably good pistachio cake cannot be devoured without a strong cup of Indian chaa. You’ll be thanking me later.

I’m really enjoying the weather. The crisp spring air blowing through the window makes it the perfect excuse to sit down with a slice of freshly home made cake. Now how many times you decide to do that during a day is entirely up to you.

Go ahead and try this recipe. You are going to love it!

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