The Best Sourdough Coffee Cake – A Discard Recipe

This is the best recipe for sourdough coffee cake! Sourdough discard and buttermilk create a tender, moist cake with layers of cinnamon and brown sugar crumble inside and plenty of crumble on top, both made from the same mixture.

Everyone has their favorite go-to recipes and this coffee cake recipe is sure to become one of them! A simple, yet classic breakfast treat, you can serve this versatile cake for your next casual Sunday morning brunch, special occasion, or holiday breakfast.

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Coffee cake gets its name because it’s traditionally eaten and perfectly paired with a strong cup of coffee, not because there’s coffee in it.

Sourdough

Don’t throw out your extra starter discard! Instead, use leftover sourdough starter discard to create some delicious baked goods like sourdough banana bread, sourdough blueberry muffins, and sourdough granola.

That’s right, a sourdough starter isn’t just for creating sourdough bread. One of my favorite ways to ensure food isn’t going to waste is by adding starter discard to various batters and dough. And since the sourdough discard is full of lactic acid bacteria, the addition of discard improves the nutritional value and digestibility of your food.

This delicious cake is the perfect way to use that leftover sourdough discard with its layers of cinnamon goodness to create the perfect balance of cinnamon in every bite. It’s so simple and delicious. You’ll love it so much that I’m sure you’ll make this recipe over and over again.

Equipment

• 9 X9 square baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• ​Kitchen scale (optional, but highly recommended)
• ​Measuring spoons
• Wooden spoon or 
• Handheld electric mixer
• Parchment paper (optional)

Simple Sourdough Coffee Cake Ingredients

This easy sourdough coffee cake recipe is made using basic ingredients for a quick and easy breakfast treat.

Cake

• Flour – I use all-purpose flour since it’s easily accessible and has the perfect protein level for a tender crumb. I recommend organic and unbleached flour, but do the best you can!
• Baking soda – Reacts with the buttermilk and sourdough discard.
• Baking powder – Another leavening agent to create a fluffy coffee cake.
• Salt – Adds flavor to baked goods.
• Butter – I like to use unsalted butter to control the level of salt in my baked goods. Be sure to soften unsalted butter to room temperature for easy creaming. 
• Sugar – Sugar sweetens and adds moisture to baked goods. Use either granulated sugar or cane sugar as both are equally sweet. I opt for cane sugar since it’s minimally processed.
• Eggs – Use room-temperature eggs for easy mixing. If eggs are cold from the fridge, warm them up by placing them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
• Buttermilk – Adds acidity that reacts with the baking soda to produce pockets of air for a tender, moist crumb.
• Sourdough starter – I like to use sourdough discard that doesn’t have an overpowering tangy flavor for this sweet treat. To achieve this, use sourdough discard that has been recently fed, within the past day or two. Sometimes I’ll even use active sourdough starter. Sourdough discard becomes increasingly more tangy the longer it goes without being fed, so if you want the sourdough tang in your sourdough coffee cake, you can use refrigerated sourdough starter discard that’s a week or two old.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the coffee cake.

Cinnamon Crumble Mixture (Middle Layer and Topping)

• Butter – Use unsalted, room temperature butter.
• Flour – Use all-purpose flour.
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar adds a deeper flavor and caramel notes to the crumble topping.
• Cinnamon – I added an abundance of cinnamon to the crumble mixture for a warm and cozy flavor.

How To Make Sourdough Coffee Cake

You’re going to love this sourdough discard coffee cake recipe! Not only is it one of my favorite sourdough discard recipes, but it’s also quick and easy to make. 

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C with the rack in the middle position.

Grease a 9 X 9 square baking dish with butter and dust with flour, tapping any extra out of the pan, or line it with parchment paper to prevent the cake from sticking.

Mix

First, prepare the cinnamon crumble mixture by combining 170 g (¾ cup) melted butter, 300 g (1½ cup) brown sugar, 187 g (1½ cups) flour, and 1½ tbsp cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl.

Next, mix the sourdough coffee cake batter. Cream 113 g (½ cup/1 stick) unsalted butter and 200 g (1 cup) sugar until fully combined in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer at medium speed.

Add 2 large eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and 250 g (1 cup) sourdough starter discard and mix again to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, stir in 250 g (1 cup) buttermilk until the mixture is fully combined.

Whisk together 282 g (2¼ cups) flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt in a separate medium bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together until just combined. The batter will be thick and may have a few small lumps in it. Be sure to not overmix. Let sit for 10 minutes to rest.

Assemble

Pour half of the coffee cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon crumble mixture over the top of the batter, making sure to reach the edge of the cake. 

Pour the remaining sourdough coffee cake batter over the cinnamon crumble mixture and gently spread it into the corners.

Add the remaining cinnamon crumble topping over the top of the cake and place the pan into the preheated oven. 

Bake

Bake for 50-55 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serve

Let the coffee cake cool a bit before serving slightly warm. Lift the coffee cake out of the pan using the parchment paper as handles.

Store 

Let the sourdough coffee cake cool completely before placing it into an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. The crumble topping will soften the longer the cake sits. Freeze any leftovers after 2 days.

Substitutions

• Buttermilk – I love using real buttermilk in this recipe, but if you don’t have any on hand, mix 125 g of sour cream and 125 g of whole milk and use that in the recipe.