Sourdough Bundt Cake
Sourdough bundt cake is a fun twist on a classic bundt cake recipe. The sourdough discard adds a subtle tangy flavor, plus it creates a light and airy texture perfect for a spring or summer dessert.
Why you will love our recipe for sourdough bundt cake
- Sourdough bundt cake is perfect for Mother’s Day and Easter. Surprise your loved ones with a homemade sourdough bundt cake decorated with their favorite flavors.
- It has the perfect flavor balance. The mild tangy flavor of the sourdough discard and the sweetness of the sugar create the perfect base for a spring dessert.
- Our recipe makes a moist bundt cake with a soft crumb. For this cake, we use whole milk. This not only adds better flavor, but the extra fat in the milk makes the cake super soft and tender.
Ingredients
Flour: To make a cake, you need a fine flour like cake flour for the best results. We know not everyone has a large pantry with a variety of flours, so we make sure all our recipes can be made with all-purpose flour as well.
Sourdough discard: You can’t make a sourdough bundt cake without sourdough starter discard. We don’t rely on the starter to act as a leavening agent, so you don’t have to feed your starter before you begin, but it does add all the sourdough benefits and flavors to your bundt cake. If you’ve already fed your starter, that’s okay. You can make this recipe with an active sourdough starter, but the flavor will be less strong.
Butter: Always opt for unsalted butter when using one of our recipes. We like to have more control over the flavor and amount of salt we use, so we always add the salt separately. If you only have salted butter, please omit the salt from the recipe. Another thing to keep in mind is that cakes taste much better and have a better texture if you use a European-style butter. It has a higher fat content, and that is the secret to making the softest, moist cakes.
Sugar: Castor sugar works perfectly for this recipe. If you prefer not to use white sugar, you can opt for coconut sugar or cane sugar. However, avoid substituting the sugar with honey, as it will alter the texture of the cake.
Milk: We always use whole milk when we make sourdough bundt cake. Whole milk has a higher fat content, which creates an amazing, tender cake. You can use low-fat milk or plant-based milk like almond milk as long as it is unsweetened.
Powdered sugar glaze: To keep things simple, we topped our sourdough bundt cake with a powdered sugar glaze. This is a glaze made with milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar, and is a super versatile glaze that is almost foolproof.
Variations
Chocolate: adding 1/2 cup of Dutch-processed cocoa powder to the batter to create a lush chocolate sourdough bundt cake. If you want to go all out, you can also add 1/4 cup of your favorite chocolate chips. To enhance the chocolate flavor, it is a great idea to add two tablespoons of espresso powder to the batter or replace part of the milk with strong coffee. If you add cocoa powder, this is the perfect recipe to use your chocolate sourdough starter. If you want to make a chocolate bundt cake for Valentine’s Day, check out our recipe for red velvet bundt cake.
Pumpkin: If you want to bake the perfect fall bundt cake, you can add 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree and 2 tablespoons of pumpkin spice or speculaas spice to the batter. To get the most out of the fall flavors, we like to swab the sugar for brown sugar and the butter for brown butter.
Lemon: Lemon and sourdough add freshness to the cake, perfect for spring, especially for an Easter brunch. Replace 1/4 cup of the milk with lemon juice, and add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter. Use lemon curd to decorate your cake and add your favorite fruit to make this a real show stopper! We also have a recipe for lemon-glazed bundt cake.
How to make a sourdough bundt cake
Always start with creaming the butter and sugar until it is fluffy and has a pale yellow color. This can take up to 10 minutes, so it is a good idea to use a food processor for this step.
Next, we add the eggs. Add one egg at a time and don’t add the next egg until it is completely incorporated into the butter mixture.
Once you’ve added all the eggs, you can add the rest of the wet ingredients. Stir them until you have a smooth mixture before you add the flour.
We like to whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the butter.
Gently mix the flour mixture into the butter until the batter is smooth. A few dry spots are fine, but there shouldn’t be large lumps of flour in your batter.
Pour the batter into your prepared bundt pan and make sure the top is smooth before baking it in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
While your sourdough bundt cake is cooling on a wire rack, it is time to make the glaze.
Add a small amount of water or milk to the powdered sugar and mix until the glaze reaches the desired consistency. This is why you don’t want to add all the liquid at once; you don’t want the glaze to be too runny.
Topping ideas
Sugar glaze: Powdered sugar glaze is our favorite glaze when we want to add something extra but want to keep it simple. This is also a great topping for beginner bakers!
Lemon curd: When you’re planning to serve a sourdough bundt cake for your Easter brunch, we highly recommend using (homemade) lemon curd for the topping. Decorate it with your favorite red fruit like raspberries, strawberries, or red currants for a beautiful pop of color.
Chocolate ganache: Moist, tender sourdough bread cake topped with a silky smooth chocolate ganache is the dream dessert for a chocolate lover. This is also one of our favorite desserts for Valentine’s Day or, decorated with powdered sugar and candied orange slices, for Christmas.
Fruit: You can’t go wrong with fresh fruit and cake, especially when you serve this sourdough bundt cake in summer. Use your favorite fruits of the season and a simple powdered sugar glaze.
Oud tips for the best sourdough discad bundt cake
- Don’t overwork the batter. Mixing the batter for too long will result in a dry, dense, rubbery cake.
- Never skip creaming the butter. This is key in creating a light and airy sourdough bundt cake.
- Bake your cake at a lower temperature. It is better to bake your cake for longer at a lower temperature than for less time at a higher temperature, as it allows too much moisture to evaporate.
- Use room temperature ingredients. This will make incorporating all the ingredients much easier.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! What a great idea. You can use this recipe to make individual bundt cakes, but you might need to adjust the baking time.
There are a few reasons a cake turns out dry, but the most common mistake is baking the cake at too high a temperature. It is better to lower the temperature of your oven and bake it longer. Because every oven is different, you might need to bake the cake a few times to get it just right. Another mistake is mixing the batter for too long. This, too, will result in a dry, dense, almost rubbery cake.
Sure. Replace the eggs with 1/4 cup mashed banana or applesauce per egg, and the butter, and milk for a plant-based variety
How to store a sourdough bundt cake
Wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature sourdough bundt cake will last for 4-5 days. Don’t place it in the fridge, as the cold will cause it to dry out more quickly. You can also freeze the cake. Frozen, it will last for up to three months. You can either freeze the whole bund cake or cut it into slices and wrap each slice in plastic wrap to keep a quick snack ready. Let the cake thaw on your counter overnight. We don’t recommend adding the glaze before freezing. The sugar in the glaze will absorb moisture and soften as it thaws.
More of our favorite cake recipes
Sourdough Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
For the powdered sugar glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F (200 °C) and grease your bundt pan.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- Next we add the eggs one at a time. Make sure the egg if fully incorporated into the butter before adding the next one.
- Add the milk, vanilla, and sourdough discard and keep mixing until you have a smooth batter.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl before adding them to the butter mixture.
- Once the batter is smooth, you can pour it into your bundt pan.
- Put your bundt pan in the center of the oven and bake the cake for 45-50 minutes. Check to see if the cake is done by inserting a wooden skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it is ready to come out of the oven.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool before taking it out of the bundt pan to cool completely.
How to make the powdered sugar glaze
- Add the powdered sugar to a small bowl.
- Stir in the water and vanilla extract a little bit at a time until the glaze has the desired consistency.
- Pour the glaze over your cooled sourdough bundt cake and let it set for 20 minutes before serving.
Can’t wait to try this!!
I am so tickled to have discovered your site. I am currently in the process of trying to grow a sourdough starter. I think it is almost there and soon I will be able to try some of your recipes. 🙂
Great recipe! I love that you use the sourdough in a bundt cake, and it looks wonderful!
Thanks!