A zippy lemon cake with a sweet glaze topping, this sourdough lemon cake has just a hint of sourdough flavour and a light, tender crumb. This is along the lines of classic lemon loaf cakes, with traditional ingredients and a strong lemon taste along with the added sourdough discard.
For more sweet discard recipes (lots more coming!) try this sourdough peach cobbler with fresh peaches, sourdough chocolate cake, or fudgy sourdough brownies.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lemons: be sure to use regular lemons and not a sweeter type like Meyer lemons, which won't add a sharp enough citrus flavour.
- Discard: this should be from 100% hydration sourdough starter. The age of the discard will alter the taste of the cake. Really old discard with hooch on it from the fridge will make for a more sourdough-tasting lemon cake. Fresh starter can be used but we recommend weighing it to get the right amount (active starter takes up more volume than discard).
- Make it dairy-free: use a good quality vegan butter alternative that comes in block form (not in tubs) and non-dairy milk. As noted below, the cake will look a little different.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Method
Step 1: cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
Step 2: add the lemon zest, juice, starter, vanilla, and milk.
Step 3: beat on low speed to combine.
Step 4: sift the dry ingredients into the bowl.
Step 5: mix until just combined.
Step 6: transfer to a loaf tin and bake.
Top Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: for the best results, the butter must be at room temperature, and all of the other ingredients should be too. To quickly bring eggs up to room temperature, submerge them in warm water for 10 minutes.
- Avoid the pith: when zesting lemons, try to only remove the yellow rind and don't zest down to the white, which is bitter.
- Refrigerate the batter: if you'd like a stronger sourdough taste, you can refrigerate the cake batter for up to 8 hours. Chill in the bowl, before transferring to the loaf tin to bake. The batter will stiffen.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was adapted from Paul Hollywood's lemon drizzle cake. In our tests we found that when it was made with non-dairy ingredients it didn't sink in the middle, but with dairy it did - the original recipe in the Bake cookbook shows a sunken cake. The cake sinks while baking (not after) and the crumb is not affected. We have only tested this at around sea level.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days, maybe longer in cool temperatures. It keeps best without a glaze or topping added.
Freezing: transfer the fully cooled cake or individual slices to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
If you make this Sourdough Lemon Cake recipe or any other sourdough recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Sourdough Lemon Cake
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl
- Electric hand or standing mixer
- Fine mesh sieve
- 1 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf tin 2 lb. (1 kg) volume
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- Zest 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, about the juice of one lemon
- ½ cup sourdough discard
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease or line a loaf tin. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your standing mixer) and mix with electric beaters until smooth and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.¾ cup salted butter, ¾ cup white sugar, 3 large eggs
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, discard, milk, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until combined. Don't worry if the mixture looks a little curdled at this point – it's from the high acidity.Zest 2 lemons, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ cup sourdough discard, 3 tablespoons whole milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed or use a spatula to mix until just combined. Don't over mix.1 ⅓ cups all-purpose white flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in a sealed container for up to 3 days at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Loved this cake! Tender crumb with a nice crust.