Cashew Cardamom Cake

A Slice of Inn Season Café History

Some recipes come together because they’re needed. Others become part of a restaurant’s identity because they capture a moment in time. Cashew Cardamom Cake was both.

By 1997, Inn Season Café had already been a destination for thoughtful vegetarian cuisine for sixteen years and the restaurant was continuing to evolve. That same year, Sara—who would soon become my wife and partner—joined the Inn Season family to manage the dining room. Her warmth and attention to hospitality elevated the guest experience, allowing me to devote even more energy to the kitchen.

At the same time, we were experiencing some turnover in the pastry chef position. Rather than search for another pastry chef immediately, I decided to take over the dessert program myself, adding pastry chef to my responsibilities as chef and proprietor. What began as a temporary solution quickly became a passion everyone enjoyed. Sara’s extraordinary sweet tooth inspired an entire new line of desserts in addition to revisiting and updating longtime favorites..  Before each one rolled out, we would summon the waitstaff before service and give them a taste.  Among them, few had more enthusiastic responses than Cashew Cardamom Cake.

The inspiration came from two very different natural places

One influence was the comforting tradition of cardamom coffee cakes, whose warm fragrance has long welcomed friends and family to the table throughout Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. The other reached much farther east—to Bengal, India—where, years earlier,I learned traditional vegetarian cooking and the preparation of sweets in homes, temples and sweet shops. Cardamom is one of the defining spices in Indian desserts, lending an unmistakable floral warmth to sweets like kheer, pera and sandesh.

I wanted to create a cake that honored both traditions while remaining true to the philosophy of Inn Season Café: whole ingredients, exceptional flavor, and thoughtful plant-based cooking.

At a time when many vegan desserts depended heavily on a combination of baking soda and vinegar or commercial egg replacers, I took a different approach. Ground cashews provided remarkable richness while contributing moisture and body. Combined with a touch of arrowroot, they created a tender crumb without eggs. Thin layers of cake alternated with silky cashew buttercream, allowing the delicate spice of cardamom and the buttery flavor of cashews to complement one another in every bite. Toasted cashews added just enough crunch to complete the experience.

The frosting helped seal in moisture, making each slice even better after resting overnight. Before long, our dessert sales had increased dramatically, and guests began returning specifically to see what cakes were available that day.

Of the desserts developed during those years, Cashew Cardamom Cake remained one of the most requested. It stayed on the menu rotation through much of the café’s remarkable 39-year history and became a favorite for birthdays, celebrations, and countless memorable dinners shared with family and friends.

More Than Flavor: The Magic of Cardamom

Cardamom has been treasured for thousands of years—not only for its extraordinary flavor but also for the sense of well-being it brings.

Its fragrant essential oils release notes of citrus, pine, eucalyptus, and sweet flowers, aromas that many people find calming, uplifting, and mentally clarifying. Simply grinding fresh cardamom pods fills a kitchen with an inviting fragrance that feels both comforting and energizing.

Traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda, have long valued cardamom as a warming digestive spice. It has been used to support healthy digestion after meals, freshen the breath, and gently stimulate circulation. Modern research suggests that cardamom contains antioxidant compounds and beneficial phytochemicals that may help protect cells from oxidative stress while contributing to overall wellness. Although it isn’t a cure-all, cardamom is one of those remarkable spices that brings together flavor, aroma, and nutritional value in a single ingredient.

Perhaps that’s why people often describe cardamom desserts as feeling somehow both indulgent and refreshing.

A Cake That Represents Inn Season

Looking back, Cashew Cardamom Cake represents everything I loved about Inn Season Café. It combined culinary traditions from opposite sides of the world, relied on simple plant-based ingredients rather than shortcuts, and proved that vegan desserts could be every bit as elegant and satisfying as their conventional counterparts.

Inn Season Cafe Cashew Cardamom Cake

Recipe by Chef George Vutetakis 

Serving Size: 16   

Dry

2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour.  Preferably Golden Wheat flour (CLNF.org) 

2 cups organic cane sugar

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/4 cup ground cardamom

1 cup cashew meal

Wet 

1/4 cup grated oat butter, from refrigerated or frozen

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Blend

3 cups oat milk

1 cup cashew meal 

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F 

Dry ingredients: Whisk together in a large bowl. 

Wet ingredients: Blend oat milk and cashew meal until smooth, combine with wet ingredients.

Whisk dry into wet ingredients for thirty seconds to activate gluten.  

Pour batter onto parchment-lined half-sized baking sheet. (18” by 13”)

Lightly shake to even out the batter. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Edges should be lightly tinged golden brown

Remove from oven, allow to rest for a few minutes and turn over onto a cooling rack.  

Cashew Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups raw cashews (soaked in hot water 1 hour or cool water 6-8 hours, then drain)

1/2 cup oat butter

1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

1/4 cup oat milk

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

 Puree cashews in a food processor, then add remaining ingredients and purée until

smooth and creamy.  

Place in refrigerator for an hour before frosting.  

Cut cake in half and trim edges.  Frost between two layers, then sides and top.

Garnish

Optional: Toasted Cashew halves to sprinkle on top 

Roasted Peach and Fresh Ginger Compote (Link to Recipe) on the side.