Almond Cake with Cardamom and Pistachio

This is a fantastic cake! Be warned that it will rise a fair bit (or at least it did at my mile-high elevation). I split out a bit of batter for an additional pan, and am glad I did so.

I used the entire 2 tsp of freshly ground cardamom, and the flavor was great - not at all overpowering. The almond aroma during baking is powerful enough to bring teenage children out from behind closed doors, and earn their appreciation.

I prepared this for my 17 1/2 year old daughter's half birthday. We skipped the pistachio because we didn't have any - but some additional decoration would have been nice.

I should also note that this cake is EASY. If you keep ground almonds on hand, the most difficult part is opening the cardamom pods and grinding them.