When Pittsburgh-based Liana Krissoff set out to write her newest cookbook, she had herself and her daughter in mind — as well as anyone wanting to nurture an everlasting love for cooking in their children.

“In Praise of Home Cooking” (Abrams, 2023), of which I received a review copy, showcases more than 85 recipes that have not only proved formative to Krissoff’s own culinary prowess, but helped her instruct her daughter in such a way that she gained both skills and confidence along the way.

Krissoff, a recipe tester, editor, and veteran cookbook author, readily admits that some of the recipes in the book may seem basic at first glance. However, they provide not only a solid foundation, but a jumping off point to hone techniques and creativity.

That’s why you’ll find recipes for “Grilled Cheese Sandwich” (with tips on how to jazz it up with spices and kimchi or sauerkraut), “Baked Potatoes” (rubbed all over with bacon fat before going into the oven), “Basic Meatloaf with a Few Vegetables,” and “Yogurt Marinated Spiced Chicken.”

At the end of the book, she includes a list of articles and books for further reading, a thoughtful assemblage that contains such classics as “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman; “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” by Harold McGee; and “Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian” by Madhur Jaffrey.

When Krissoff left home to take her first job in New York, her mother sent her off with a photocopied recipe for “Cardamom Butter Cake.” The original is a Swedish coffee cake known as “kardemummakaka.” The copy is so well used that it has grown wrinkled and stained with coffee over the years. Is there any better evidence that this is a recipe that’s truly loved?

It’s easy to see why. It’s a tender, buttery cake that doesn’t require an electric mixer, just a whisk, spoon and spatula, and a little elbow grease.

It also is made with an unusual method. It eschews the usual creaming of softened butter with sugar, then beating in an egg. Instead, milk is warmed in a pan ever so slightly, then alternately added with flour to a whisked mixture of egg, sugar and cardamom. Two sticks of butter are then melted, and then folded in, before the batter is poured into a square baking pan.

Krissoff tops the batter with a topping made by stirring together 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans. I confess that I thought that might be rather skimpy, so I doubled it, making it more like a coffee cake topper. Even so, it’s still a pretty restrained amount of streusel-like adornment. Feel free to choose the original amount or make more like I did.

As the cake bakes, the fragrance is simply intoxicating. The cake emerges with a texture that is surprisingly light and fluffy. The cardamom really shines through prominently, marrying well with the cinnamon in the topping. This is a sweet, warm, floral, and woody-spiced cake that envelops like a great big hug.

Although the recipe doesn’t instruct to do so, you could line the pan with greased parchment paper with enough overhang to lift it out after baking in one fell swoop. Otherwise, it helps to use a flexible spatula to lift out individual pieces so they stay intact.

Even if a few crumbs or nuts fall off in the process, don’t fret. That’s just part of this cake’s charm. It’s what makes home cooking thoroughly endearing and enduring, too.

Cardamom Butter Cake

(Makes one 9-inch square cake)

2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups (250g) plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom seeds (freshly ground, if possible)

3/4 cup (180ml) milk

1 cup (2 sticks/225g) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch square cake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg until fluffy, then whisk in the 1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar and the cardamom.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the milk to lukewarm. To the egg mixture, add a little of the flour mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula to combine, then a little of the milk, then flour, and so on until all the milk and flour have been added. In the same saucepan, melt the butter, then fold it into the batter — slowly at first so it doesn’t slop out of the bowl, then beating until smooth. Scrape into the prepared pan. Mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, the nuts, and cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool on a rack, then cut into squares and serve.

From “In Praise of Home Cooking” by Liana Krissoff

More Recipes That Highlight Cardamom: Sweet Almond Buns with Cardamom

And: Sweet Buns with Cardamom and Chocolate

And: Vetebullar (Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns)