Save your sourdough discard, sourdough coffee cake is perfect for wasteless-ly transforming it into a perfectly sweet, abundantly flavorful breakfast cake! My version is topped with a cinnamon-spiced streusel that is just as delicious as it is easy (no pastry cutter needed!).
My New Favorite Coffee Cake
Is this sourdough coffee cake my new favorite coffee cake recipe? For now…until I come up with my next one (see also my pumpkin coffee cake, blueberry coffee cake, banana coffee cake–the list is always growing!). Today’s version has a lovely depth of flavor thanks to the sourdough, isn’t too sweet, and has an abundant, perfectly spiced crumb. I mean, just look at it! You need to try this one.
Why This Recipe WORKS
- Sourdough discard contributes moisture, depth, and a subtle tang. It adds complexity without making the cake taste sour like sourdough bread.
- Using melted butter ensures the streusel is easy peasy with absolutely no need for a pastry cutter (I don’t know about you, but I avoid mine at all costs… why do I hate it so much?).
- Perfect for last-minute get-togethers! It takes just 25 minutes to prep and is such a crowd-pleaser–who doesn’t love soft cake with a spiced streusel topping?!
- Equally suited for breakfast or dessert! It’s the *perfect* pairing for a cup of coffee, though I might suggest decaf if you’re enjoying for dessert 😉
Ingredients
Just some pantry basics–I’ll go over a few before we get started!
- Sourdough discard. Use unfed, room temperature discard from the same day you discarded. Any older and it could affect the flavor/texture (you’d probably be OK if you discarded yesterday and refrigerated, so 48 hours if refrigerated).
- Brown sugar. Only granulated sugar is used in the cake itself (helps keep the crumb lighter and I just found it to work best), but a touch of light brown sugar adds a nice subtle accent to the streusel topping.
- Sour cream. Even if you don’t like sour cream, add it! I promise you won’t taste it in the final product, but you will appreciate how much moisture and depth of flavor it adds to the cake. Full fat, plain Greek yogurt would probably work too, but I find it doesn’t add quite as much depth.
- Cinnamon. We’ll add a full tablespoon to our streusel for a perfectly spiced flavor. Note that we aren’t adding a cinnamon swirl to this coffee cake like we do with my classic coffee cake recipe, so all the cinnamon flavor is coming from the topping.
- Unsalted butter. You’ll want this softened for the cake itself and melted (then cooled) for the streusel topping. If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt in the cake to ½ teaspoon and skip it entirely in the crumb topping.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: If you want to use active starter, you can, just stir it down first. One thing to note: starter won’t give the same depth of flavor as discard.
How to Make Sourdough Coffee Cake
Start by creaming the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until very well combined, about 2-3 minutes on high speed. It should be lightened in color and fluffy when you’re done, this helps give the cake the proper fluffy crumb. Add the eggs and remaining wet ingredients, then set this aside while you combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a spatula. Be careful not to over-mix at this point!
Spread the batter into a greased metal baking pan and set aside while you prep the streusel.
Whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt, then pour in the cooled melted butter. Toss everything together with a fork until everything is combined and crumbly, being careful not to go too far or you’ll create an unusable paste.
Sprinkle the streusel over your prepared cake batter, then bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. If you’d like, you can drizzle a glaze over the top of your cooled sourdough coffee cake (included in the recipe below!), but it’s also great with a dusting of powdered sugar.
SAM’S TIP: Let the cake cool for a bit before adding your glaze or powdered sugar; otherwise, it will just melt on the cake (which is… fine, but not as pretty).
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just mix together ¼ cup (50g) sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon. Layer half the batter into the pan, sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar in an even layer, then dollop the remaining batter overtop and spread it smooth (not super easy to do, but don’t panic if it gets a bit messy, it’ll be fine.
Sourdough discard isn’t something you can buy in a store; it’s a byproduct of maintaining a sourdough starter. If you want to start your sourdough journey, check out my post on how to make a sourdough starter.
If you aren’t ready for all that right now, I’d simply recommend you make my sour cream coffee cake instead.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for more sourdough recipes? I have a full collection of sourdough recipes to make with your sourdough starter & discard.
Enjoy!
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Sourdough Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (110 g) sourdough discard (unfed room temperature discard works best)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
Topping
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled until not warm to the touch
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Glaze (optional)
- ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Recommended Equipment
- 9×9” metal baking pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease a 9×9” (23x23cm) metal baking pan with butter or shortening. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together butter and sugar very well, until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes on high speed).½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg and beat again until completely combined.1 large egg
- Add sour cream, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract and stir together until thoroughly combined.½ cup (120 g) sour cream, ½ cup (110 g) sourdough discard, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1 ½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- Use a spatula to gradually fold the dry ingredients into wet until completely combined.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared baking pan and set aside while you prepare the topping.
Topping
- Place butter in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until butter is just melted (you do not want it to be too hot). Allow butter to cool while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, use a fork to stir together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Pour (cooled) butter over the mixture and use a fork to toss/claw together the ingredients until all ingredients are moistened and combined (the mixture should be crumbly, don’t overdo it or it will be pasty).
- Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter. Transfer to preheated 350F (175C) oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow cake to cool at least slightly before drizzling with glaze, if desired.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and milk until smooth.2-3 teaspoons milk, ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- Drizzle over the top of cooled (or somewhat cooled) cake. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Storing
Cover tightly or transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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