Sugar High Friday # 3: Spice up your Winter! - Cardamom Cakes

I'm cheating tonight. Which is really embarrasing, considering I'm actually hosting this time around. But. You all know how it is - I hope?!? - all of a sudden your life just goes tremendously busy, and there's nothing you can do, but go with the flow.

I found myself enrolled in some catering for my brother-in-law's Christmas party - school acted crazy - and to top things off, there was a Christmas party for my old class mates from med school -OY! - and well, excuses excuses! My very well planned Sugar High Friday started coming apart.

But you see, my plan was GOOD. I actually did my assignment in due time - only.. ahem. I haven't had the time to post about it until now, which is 5 am GMT +1. But then I figured - hey! I haven't slept yet, so it's kinda still Friday - and it's almost certainly still Friday somewhere in the Pacific - I can still do this and then just "back-date" my post. He! But I AM sorry 'bout the minor cheating-thing...

Anywho. On to the subject matter, which has definetly and absolutely NOTHING to do with time - deadlines, restraint or the likes. No what this is about is this: SUGAR HIGH FRIDAY as invented by soon-to-be-married Jennifer at Domestic Goddess!

A while ago, I was inspired by the ever enchanting Clotilde to buy these little thingys:


After announcing the theme, I decided my weapon of choice, besides the small, individual tart cases would be


Yup, cardamom. I have a thing for it at the moment, there's something about that slightly musky and - to me - very homey scent.
I went browsing through my books and in one of my favorite Danish dessert books, Camilla Plums: Sødt, I stumbled upon the very straightforward but yummy sounding Cardamom cake. It also listed another favorite, marzipan, as an ingredient - I had to do these!

Shortcrust pastry
250 g. flour
170 g. butter
75 g. icing sugar/confectioner's sugar
1 egg

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, butter and icing sugar


- until it resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and add the egg, making a dough out of it. Slightly flatten the dough and leave it to rest in the fridge for about an hour (or longer if that fits your schedule better!)



When ready to use, roll out the dough, about 2 mm thick, and line your tart case of choice with it.


2 dl. cream
15 cardamom pods
300 g. marzipan
100 g. sugar
1 egg
juice from 1 lemon
zest of ½ a lemon

Lightly crush the cardamom pods, and put them in a saucepan with the cream. Slowly bring to the boil, letting the cream infuse for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool - it will go quite thick.

In a food processor, pulse together the marzipan, sugar, egg, lemon juice and zest


- strain the infused cream into the marzipan mixture and pulse again, until incorporated.


Fill your tart cases with the cardamom-flavored marzipan mixture.


Bake (for small tart cases about 15 minutes, larger ones more like 30) in a 175 C hot oven. And do enjoy the scent as they come out of the oven...

Now I have to say, they're really nice - subtly scented and sweet, with a slight kick from the lemon. And all, though I can hardly say it's obligatory for one to enjoy them, what makes them even better is eating one, blogging and being a wee bit tipsy in the early morning hours of December - ... ;-)