18 Cardamom Baked Goods That Will Have You Asking, 'Cinnamon Who?'

Imagine a place on the opposite side of the globe where the baked buns, pies and breakfast goods are not redolent with cinnamon, the way they are in the States, but with an entirely different spice that you might not have even experienced. Well, it's not imaginary, because that is exactly the case in Scandinavia, and the spice is cardmom. Cardmom features in savory cooking in many countries, particularly in South Asia, the Middle East, and eastern Africa; but when it comes to baked goods, the spice is synonymous with the Nordic countries, where everything warm and homey is perfumed with it.

Its flavor is hard to describe; some say it's a mix of citrus and ginger (it is botanically related to the latter); or cinnamon plus nutmeg; but if you know the flavor of cardamom, you already know how this description falls far too short. It's got an astringency and pepperiness (without the heat) that when combined with sweetness tastes like you'd imagine fairy dust might; quite frankly, once you start eating your way through cardamom desserts, you might start to think that we've missed out on something, being so hung up on cinnamon all these years.

There are so many ways you could dive in, but why not start with this brown butter carrot cake? There really are no bad carrot cakes, in our book, but we love how this one asks us to take a fresh look at the genre. It's subtle tweaks, not anything completely upside-down, that will have eaters really noticing the difference as they eat. The addition of cardamom in both the moist cake layers and in the espresso-flecked frosting enhances everything.

Molly uses Turkish coffee as inspiration for these donuts (the cardamom is not a typical inclusion in Turkey, but it has become trendy outside of Turkey to add the spice to a cup of the very strong coffee). But, just like the espresso powder, it has the effect of enhancing the chocolateliness. You'll love the simplicity of just rolling out the dough, then cutting into 9 squares (much easier, especially if you haven't had your coffee yet); and the sour cream in the dough renders these deliciously craggy, for a textural party.

Molly's a good Midwestern girl who knows her way around Scandi baked goods, and this bun, as ubiquitous all over Scandinavia as croissants are in France, though admittedly larger, is THE definitive coffee go-with. The texture is just as important as the spice, always folded over, braided, or dimpled to give lots of variation of crisp-plus-bready softness. In a word, it is glorious.

Molly goes for the Turkish coffee profile again, but this time in the form of very simple brownies (no melting chocolate necessary!). While your brownies bake, whisk together an equally simple but very fudgy glaze for the top. You can use any sprinkles, but the mini rainbow candy-coated chips bring that cosmic nostalgia that can never go wrong.

Cinnamon is usually the go-to for apple pie, but here, Molly makes a great case to rethink that. She blends her own warming spices for this pie, using a profile that often goes with pumpkin but that really complements apples, too. Turbinado sugar adds an extra crunch in the pastry. Don't forget that freshly whipped cream to go with.

Cardamom goes well with a pumpkin moment, too. These scones employ "pumpkin pie spice," that blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger, then pump up the profile with cardamom and ground coriander. We love the way they add complexity to the scones, along with whole wheat pastry flour for that added nutty heartiness.

Give us a Bundt, any day of the week — they always seem to get better as they sit. This one's apple-honey profile would suit a Rosh Hashanah gathering, or really, any fall gathering. Or any gathering at all. Its subtle warming spices enhance the fruit and honey flavors.

There's coffee cake, a crumb cake that goes with coffee, and then there's coffee-flavored cake, which needs no explanation. This one is actually both. And like a good strong cup of coffee, it's one you'll want to savor slowly to make it last longer.

Maybe you need a shakeup from your usual breakfast chia pudding, or maybe you want an unexpected dessert. Either way, the floral notes of this chia pudding make it a lovely light after-dinner treat (and still great for breakfast). If you like that textural aspect of a tapioca pudding, you should give this one a try.

These have that wonderful rich and crumbly texture that you've come to expect from, say, a snowball cookie or tea cake, but a flavor all their own. Their simplicity has so much appeal, getting their flavor just from ground walnuts, vanilla, and cardamom. They are adorable on a cookie tray, and scratch that itch both for something old-school and also for something you don't see every day.

Monkey bread is such a no-brainer project anytime kids are involved. Particularly here, when you use pop-tube dough to put it together. We don't want to say it's so easy that monkeys could make it ... but it's close. And you won't believe the monkey business that ensues when it's time to pull it apart.

This crumble is homey and easy to prepare, as all good crumbles should be. Instead of pairing with the usual ice cream, here, a gorgeous vanilla cream sauce, infused with cardamom, runs into all the delicious nooks and crannies to enhance the richness. The result is a very elegant dessert.

We love what cardamom brings out in combination with fruit, almost a note that feels like it belongs there but that you never detected before. These one uses an appealing free-form crust that puts all the beautiful fruit on display. Coconut whipped cream lends a subtle tropical touch.

And in the vein of pull-apart, but this time, oh-so elegant, is this gorgeous snowflake. Its rich dough comes back around to something akin to those Scandinavian cardamom buns, but each section is also filled with raspberry jam. This is such a wonderful inclusion on a brunch table, but also on any wintertime spread.

These have sugar cookie-shortbread DNA, via Sweden. It's both cardamom and lemon zest that gives them (and your whole kitchen) that aroma that feels like Grandma is in there baking (even if your grandma wasn't Swedish herself). The colorful sanding sugar gives them crunch and super cuteness.

Aarti brings Indian inspiration to her bread pudding, which she describes as a warm hug from the inside. The chunks of baguette become golden and crispy on top, but yield for that warm and soft texture beneath. The coconut milk and warm spices are indeed so huggy, and the occasional bits of chewiness from the chopped dried fig are a welcome variation.

This cake looks like one a snowman might serve, so it's perfect for the holidays. Sugared cranberries get that extra-something-special with the inclusion of cardamom, which really rounds out their tart sweetness. The chocolate is enhanced with almond flour, which brings a very moist and light crumb to the cake layers. If you want to dial down the almondiness, simply leave out the almond extract in the frosting.