Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Liberally butter and flour your pan, particularly if using a bundt pan with lots of design.
Sift or whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon or cardamom into a medium bowl.
1 ¾ cup (220 grams) bleached all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a medium to large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
½ cup (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
Add the eggs and vanilla one at a time, beating on medium speed for one minute after each addition, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl.
½ cup buttermilk
Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just mixed.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly around the pan. Give the pan a few thwacks on the countertop to even it out and get out any air bubbles.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until the cake is beginning to turn golden and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and without any crumbs. The cake will be just starting to pull away from the edge of the pan.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Carefully run a thin knife or spatula around the inner and outer edges of the cake. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack so that it is "upside down" (i.e. the cake that was exposed is now the bottom of the cake). Let cool completely.