This sourdough discard coffee cake is so easy to make. It is sweet, delicious, and the perfect way to use your discard!
While I love making bread with my sourdough starter, I also love making all kinds of different sourdough discard recipes. This sourdough discard coffee cake recipe is one of my all time favorite sourdough discard recipes. Not only does this cake taste amazing but it is super easy to make too.
If you need some more sourdough inspiration some of my other favorite recipes are this Sourdough Everything Bagel Bread, Sourdough Graham Crackers, and Sourdough Apple Cake.
Jump to:
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy: You need just a few simple ingredients to make this coffee cake.
- Reduce your kitchen waste: This recipe is an easy way to cut down on kitchen waste. Sourdough bakers will appreciate the slight tang the sourdough gives this cake.
- Tastes great: This is one of my all time favorite sourdough discard recipes! The tangy sourdough, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors go so well together.
🍰 Ingredients needed
For this coffee cake, you will need:
- Flour: You’ll need all purpose flour.
- Sugar and brown sugar: To sweeten the cake. You will need brown sugar for the topping too.
- Sourdough discard: The star of this coffee cake recipe.
- Baking soda: To give the cake some rise.
- Salt: You’ll need just ½ a teaspoon.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: To give the cake some spice. You will also top the cake with cinnamon.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter.
- Egg: You’ll need one large egg.
- Oil: You’ll need vegetable or safflower oil for this recipe.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is best for baking.
If you’d like to learn how to make your own sourdough starter, this post on how to make sourdough starter with blueberries is a great start.
👩🏻🍳 How to make (step by step guide)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Stir well with a large spoon.
Next, add in your wet ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer.
Pour the batter into the baking dish.
Next, in a medium bowl combine the ingredients for the topping (brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and flour). Use a pastry cutter or two forks to combine and press into the ingredients until the topping is pea sized.
Sprinkle the topping over the batter and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cake.
🥡 How to store leftovers
Cover leftovers with plastic storage wrap and keep at room temperature. This coffee cake will be good for up to 4 days after making.
👩🍳 Tips
- Feel free to add walnuts or pecans to the topping or in the cake, if desired.
- Use a pastry cutter or two forks to combine the topping together.
- Mix the dry ingredients and then the wet ingredients for the best results.
Other sourdough recipes:
If you tried this Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake or any other recipe on my site, please leave a ⭐ rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I would love to hear from you!
Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 9 inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter cold
- 1 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup pecans or walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 inch baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl combine your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg). Stir well with a large spoon.
- Next, add in your wet ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish.
- Next, in a medium bowl combine the ingredients for the topping (brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and flour). Use a pastry cutter or two forks to combine and press into the ingredients until the topping is pea sized.
- Sprinkle the topping over the batter and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the cake.
MICHELLE says
This turned out so moist! The flavors are delicious! I added one peeled and diced Macintosh apple and a handful of pecans and WOW. I will make this again, especially if we have company! My husband and I have managed just fine all by ourselves though LOL. It is DEVINE with coffee!
PaulaJo says
This recipe was great, very light and fluffy. I did use butter instead of oil. The only thing I would change is probably cut the white sugar down to 1/4 cup. It was just a little sweet for my taste. I made it in a large size muffin tin instead of a 9×9. They are awesome for single servings.
Sarah H says
Great recipe
Audrey says
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for taking time out of your day to leave a comment! Happy baking.
lch says
Could you add apples to this? What adjustments would you make?
Two Pink Peonies says
Yes, you could add apples to this cake. I would recommend adding 3/4 to 1 cup of chopped and peeled apples. I also have a specific recipe for sourdough apple cake if you’d like to use that one instead – https://www.twopinkpeonies.com/sourdough-apple-cake/
Tatiana says
Super creative and delicious way to use that sourdough discard. Yum!
Brianna May says
This looks delish!!
Makhaya says
I’m always looking for new sourdough recipes! So happy I found this one, can’t wait to try it!
Sarah says
A coffee cake with no coffee in it?? I’m lost!
Audrey says
Most modern coffee cakes have no coffee. They are designed to be eaten with hot coffee or tea though 🙂
Sarah says
In the Uk coffee cakes always have coffee in them! I made it anyway and it was absolutely delicious! And then I found a coffee cake recipe with coffee in it, so we had two cakes instead!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings says
LOVE this! Am always looking for something besides crackers to do with my discard.
Karen says
Such a creative way to use sourdough discard! This was absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to make it again.
Luke Ratford says
A superb coffee cake recipe, the family loved it 🙂
kyleigh says
such a great way to use up sourdough discard!
serena says
Such a great use of the sourdough
amanda says
This came out perfectly and my whole family loved it, thanks!
melissa says
Thank you for this! I am just starting my sourdough journey and was troubled by the waste of discarding part of the starter. Now I can turn it into something yummy! 🙆🏻♀️
Two Pink Peonies says
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking time to leave a comment! I also hate wasting it (and wasting food in general). I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!