Sourdough Gingerbread Coffee Cake
This sourdough gingerbread coffee cake is the ultimate holiday treat. It’s perfect for moments when you want something that feels special without requiring much fuss—like Christmas morning or a festive gathering. The cake is tender and warmly spiced, made with simple ingredients such as molasses, cozy spices, and sourdough discard. But the real star is the crumble topping, packed with tiny bits of candied ginger for an irresistible extra punch of ginger flavor. This is one recipe you’ll want to make over and over again.
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Coffee cake is a simple and widely loved breakfast treat, best enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee—after all, it’s in the name. It’s the kind of treat you want to enjoy as you cozy up in a warm blanket on a Sunday morning when the day starts slow, and there’s nowhere to rush off to. I’m always excited to incorporate sourdough starter into any dish I can for its health benefits and the subtle tang it adds. So if you’re like me, it’s helpful to keep a favorite sourdough discard recipe or two on hand, like sourdough banana bread, sourdough cinnamon and sugar quick bread, or sourdough discard coffee cake recipe.
Unlike other gingerbread coffee cake recipes, this moist cake is full of cozy flavors with plenty of ginger, molasses, and warm cinnamon flavor baked right into the cake and the crumble topping. A sprinkling of candied ginger in the crumble topping adds a zing of flavor and pops against the dark molasses-filled gingerbread cake. It’s simple, comforting, and perfect for sharing with those you love. Not to mention, the perfect way to use up leftover sourdough starter during the holiday season.
What is Molasses?
Molasses is a thick, brown syrup made from cane sugar. After cane sugar is crushed, the liquid is boiled to produce cane syrup. Given enough time to boil, all of the moisture evaporates until the sucrose in the syrup crystallizes. The crystals, known as raw sugar, are removed, and what’s left behind is molasses.
Similar to olive oils, the first extraction has the best flavor. In this case, it’s light and sweet. As the process continues, the flavor becomes more bitter. When recipes call for molasses, this is what they’re referring to. A popular brand is Grandma’s Original Unsulphured Molasses.
If molasses is left to continue to cook, it becomes so concentrated that it turns black. At this point, it becomes blackstrap molasses and has a bitter, sludgy, and salty flavor. This is not what you want to use for baked goods.
Tips
- Dice the candied ginger into small pieces for the best texture.
- Avoid overbaking the cake to ensure a moist and tender crumb.
- Blend the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding them to the wet ingredients. Use two separate bowls – one for the dry and one for the wet – before combining.
- The second layer of batter can cause the crumble to shift when you try to spread it. To prevent this, I found it helps to spoon the batter evenly over the whole pan first, then gently spread it.
- I developed this recipe as a way to use up leftover sourdough discard, but you can use active sourdough starter, too. Just be sure to measure it by weight, rather than volume, since the active starter contains more air than the discard does.
Storage
Like most baked goods, this sourdough gingerbread coffee cake is best the day you bake it. Let the sourdough coffee cake cool completely before placing it into an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze sourdough gingerbread coffee cake, allow to cool before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap. Place into a freezer bag, label with the name and date, and place into the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months. To enjoy, remove from the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter at room temperature.
Will you make this sourdough gingerbread coffee cake for a special occasion or just because? I’d love to hear about it!
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instagram @LockremHomestead
Sourdough Gingerbread Coffee Cake
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Equipment
- 1 9×9 baking pan
- 1 digital kitchen scale
- measuring spoons
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 microplane zester
- 3 mixing bowls
- parchment paper optional
Ingredients
Crumble
- 113 g unsalted butter ½ cup/1 stick, softened
- 100 g granulated sugar ½ cup
- 156 g all-purpose flour 1¼ cups
- ½ tsp salt
- 50 g candied ginger ⅓ cup, diced
Dry Ingredients
- 219 g all-purpose flour 1¾ cups
- 1¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Wet Ingredients
- 113 g unsalted butter ½ cup/1 stick, softened
- 200 g brown sugar 1 cup, packed
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 125 g molasses ½ cup
- 125 g sourdough discard ½ cup
- 125 g whole milk ½ cup
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C.
- Grease a 9×9 square pan or line it with a piece of parchment paper.
Crumb Mixture
- Dice the candied ginger using a sharp knife, and set aside. I like to make the pieces roughly pea-size.
- Add the butter and the granulated sugar to a medium bowl and cream together with a spoon or hand mixer. Add the flour, salt, and minced candied ginger to the bowl and combine until it resembles coarse sand.
Mix Gingerbread Coffee Cake
- Add the butter and brown sugar to a large bowl and cream until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, sourdough discard, milk, and molasses to the bowl and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Whisk the dry ingredients well.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Assemble and Bake
- Pour half of the sourdough coffee cake batter into the prepared pan, roughly 500 g. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread the batter to the sides of the pan.
- Sprinkle half of the crumble mixture over the top of the cake, roughly 200 g.
- Add the remaining cake batter evenly over the crumble mixture and spread it evenly.
- Top with the remaining crumble mixture, spreading to the edge of the cake.
- Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Place the pan onto a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Tips
-
- Dice the candied ginger into small pieces for the best texture.
- Avoid overbaking the cake to ensure a moist and tender crumb.
- Blend the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding them to the wet ingredients. Use two separate bowls – one for the dry and one for the wet – before combining.
- The second layer of batter can cause the crumble to shift when you try to spread it. To prevent this, I found it helps to spoon the batter evenly over the whole pan first, then gently spread it.
- I developed this recipe as a way to use up leftover sourdough discard, but you can use active sourdough starter, too. Just be sure to measure it by weight, rather than volume, since the active starter contains more air than the discard does.
