With that amount of cardamom called for in the recipe, there will be nothing you can substitute that will taste similar.
If I find a recipe for something that I don't have and don't want to buy, I look for another recipe.
It's a "Cardamom Orange Spice Cake"....you can add more cinnamon, but it will then be a cinnamon orange spice cake, or add ginger and you have a ginger orange spice cake.
At my store, cardamom is no more expensive that vanilla or good cinnamon, and who knows you might find another recipe to use it in, like muffins or cookies or a chai tea.
Linda C

Look for a grocery that sells spices in bulk. Instead of paying $3+ for a bottle of spice you may never use again, you'll pay less than a dollar for exactly the amount that you need for your recipe. You're in VA right? I know that Whole Foods sells bulk items, and I think Wegmans does as well.

I'll also add that cardamom is a common Indian spice, so go to any Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern etc grocery and you'll be able to find it fairly cheaply, albeit usually in large amounts. I cook Indian food frequently so I always have a big bag o' cardamom in the cupboard. And as Linda said, it's great in lots of other things.

This is from Cook's Thesaurus (see link below) which is a good site to bookmark:

cardamom = cardamon = green cardamom Notes: Cardamom figures prominently into the cuisines of India, the Middle East, North Africa, and Scandinavia. It best to buy cardamom seeds still encased in their natural flavor-protecting pods, which you discard after you remove the seeds. You can also buy cardamom without the pods, called cardamom seeds = decorticated cardamom, but the unprotected seeds lose flavor quickly. Ground cardamom seeds are even less flavorful. Recipes that call for cardamom usually intend for you to use green cardamom, named for the green pods that encase the seeds. Some producers bleach the green hulls to a pale tan, but this makes them less aromatic. Brown cardamom is a similar spice that Indians use in savory dishes. Equivalents: One pod yields 1/6 teaspoon cardamom. Substitutes: brown cardamom OR equal parts ground nutmeg and cinnamon OR equal parts ground cloves and cinnamon OR nutmeg OR cinnamon

Here is a link that might be useful: Cook's Thesaurus

Thanks, everyone. I might try some of the subs suggested in the Glossary [thanks, Ginger]. Lynchburg is so bass ackward [ahem] when it comes to grocery stores. We have Kroger. And a pricey Food-Lion. And a crowded Wal-mart. Period. And NONE of them has specialty foods -- at least, not the ones I'm looking for.
chery2

Check out Penzey's also for future recipes you might want to make. Prices are pretty good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Penzey's

I just recently went through the same problem I rarely make Swedish Meatballs but the recipe I have calls for Cardamom I went to the store it was 11.99 for a small McCormicks bottle I left it out..they still were excellent!

i was wondering what does the ground cardamom taste like
is it like ginger,cinnamon or what?? and do you know of a store in or near warren michigan that i can buy this spice?? what if i left it out of the recipe, the recipe is apple caramel dessert