Cardamom Coffee Cake

Serves 18

1 lb (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 ¼ cups light brown sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
2 ½ tsps baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp cardamom
2 cups sour cream
1 tbsp cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” tube or bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with 2 cups brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom in a separate bowl.

Add the flour mixture, 1/3 of it at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Stir just enough to blend after each addition. Don’t beat or otherwise overmix.

Combine ¼ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts in a separate small bowl.

Spoon approximately 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the nut mixture, then add another third of the batter. Cover with remaining nut mixture, then top with remaining batter. Lightly spread into place.

Bake approximately 1¼ hours or until a knife inserted all the way in comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Cool at least 30 minutes more before cutting into it.