• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Baked logo

  • Winter
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Work With Us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Winter
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Work With Us
×

Baked » Recipes » Sourdough Discard

Chocolate Sourdough Cake (One-Bowl)

Published: Feb 11, 2022 · Modified: Jan 4, 2023 by Kelly Neil · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Make the most of your sourdough starter discard with this easy one-bowl chocolate sourdough cake! It’s a decadent treat, great with coffee.

A close up image showing the sliced inside of a chocolate sourdough cake.

Photography by Sophie MacKenzie

We have lots of sourdough discard recipes, however, sourdough cakes are something we haven’t explored much yet. I think that’s all about to change after trying this sourdough discard chocolate cake!

You’d never know this is an egg-free cake recipe since the sourdough starter adds both hydration and lift. Keep in min though, if you’re looking for a sourdough discard cake with intense sourdough flavour this may not be the recipe for you. The chocolate flavour counteracts any noticeable sourness, and even more so if you add frosting once the cake cools. Still, we love the idea of reducing kitchen waste where we can!

A Note About Frosting For This One-Bowl Sourdough Chocolate Cake

We didn’t include a recipe for frosting because there are so many terrific choices! For this post we used our easy vanilla frosting recipe and simply added cocoa powder to taste to make it chocolate. Spiced rum buttercream or cream cheese frosting would also be delicious!

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Method
  • Tips & Notes
  • Substitutions
  • More Sourdough Discard Desserts
  • Recipe

Overhead image of an unsliced chocolate sourdough cake.

Ingredients

Ingredients to make chocolate sourdough cake.
  • Oil—Use any neutral-tasting oil you like or have on hand. We used avocado oil but vegetable oil or canola oil are fine, as well as widely available.
  • AC Vinegar—Apple cider vinegar helps activate the baking soda and baking powder, which is needed in a cake made without eggs.
  • Sourdough Starter—This is a sourdough discard recipe, which means we used unfed starter. For more information about sourdough starter, including terminology, visit this post called How To Make A Sourdough Starter.

Method

A hand using a whisk to mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
A hand using a whisk to mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Whisk well to combine.
A hand pouring oil from a measuring cup into a bowl of cake ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the same bowl.
A hand using a whisk to mix cake batter in a mixing bowl.
Whisk until a smooth batter forms.
A hand using a rubber spatula to smooth cake batter in a cake tin.
Spread the batter into a cake tin.
A baked cake in a tin on a wire cooling rack.
Bake the cake 30 minutes then cool.
A hand spreading frosting on a cake with a knife.

Tips & Notes

This sourdough cake recipe doubles well! Simply double the amount of ingredients and divide the batter between two cake tins rather than one.

How To Store Sourdough Starter Chocolate Cake

Sourdough cake will keep on the counter, covered with plastic wrap or inside a cake server, for up to two days (maybe three if really well covered). You can refrigerate the cake, however, we recommend bringing it to room temperature before serving.

Overhead image of a chocolate sourdough cake with a slice removed.

Substitutions

Light spelt flour can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio for all-purpose flour. You can also substitute up to 40% whole wheat flour (74g) in this sourdough chocolate cake recipe.

Use any light-tasting oil you like or have on hand. We used avocado oil, but canola and vegetable oils are more widely used. We think sunflower, grapeseed, or coconut oil should also work here, however, we haven’t tested them.

White vinegar or lemon juice can be swapped in for apple cider vinegar.

Slices of cake on plates.

More Sourdough Discard Desserts

Sourdough Donuts
Blueberry Bread Pudding
Sourdough Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sourdough Discard

Recipe

A close up image showing the sliced inside of a chocolate sourdough cake.

Chocolate Sourdough Cake (One-Bowl)

5 from 4 votes
Author: Sophie Mackenzie
Yield: 8
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Comments

Description

 

Make the most of your sourdough starter discard with this easy one-bowl chocolate sourdough cake! It's a decadent treat, great with coffee.

Equipment

  • 8-inch (20-cm) round cake tin
  • Parchment paper
  • Scissors
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Wire rack
  • Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons neutral oil, plus extra for greasing the pan
  • ¾ cup water, room temperature
  • ½ cup sourdough starter discard
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Makes: 8inch8 x 8inch round

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20-cm) round cake tin with oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit.
  • Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk well.
  • Add the oil, water, sourdough discard, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until everything is well mixed and the flour is just combined.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin. Place the cake in the oven and bake for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
  • Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool in the tin. Once cooled, turn the cake out of the tin and decorate with your favourite icing.

Notes

This sourdough cake recipe doubles well! Simply double the amount of ingredients and divide the batter between two cake tins rather than one.
 

How To Store Sourdough Starter Chocolate Cake

Sourdough cake will keep on the counter, covered with plastic wrap or inside a cake server, for up to two days (maybe three if really well covered). You can refrigerate the cake, however, we recommend bringing it to room temperature before serving.
 

Substitutions

Light spelt flour can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio for all-purpose flour. You can also substitute up to 40% whole wheat flour (74 grams) in this sourdough chocolate cake recipe.
Use any light-tasting oil you like or have on hand. We used avocado oil, but canola and vegetable oils are more widely used. We think sunflower, grapeseed, or coconut oil should also work here, however, we haven’t tested them.
White vinegar or lemon juice can be swapped in for apple cider vinegar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 272mg | Fiber: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Let us know on Instagram @baked_theblog or tag #bakedtheblog!
« Black Pepper and Rosemary Sourdough Bread
Baked Chocolate Donuts (Homemade, One-Bowl) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judith says

    December 08, 2022 at 10:39 am

    5 stars
    Insanely delicious! I had to cook it for about 8 minutes longer though, since it seemed raw in the middle after 30 minutes – but then it was great – I just love this! Also used your recommended buttercream icing. :)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Winter recipes in large text over a picture of cookies.

About Baked

Baked is a collaborative project brought to you by five Canadian women food bloggers. Our mission is to bring accessible baking recipes into your home kitchen with beautiful photography, lots of step-by-step images, and thorough, easy-to-read information. At Baked, there's something for everyone!
Join Our Mailing List
Get our recipes & baking tips direct to your inbox each week!

Get Baking!

A pile of English muffins in a shallow tray.

Sourdough English Muffins

A jar of active sourdough starter.

How to Make Sourdough Starter From Scratch

Stack of square waffles topped with strawberries.

Our Favourite Sourdough Discard Recipes

Sourdough crackers topped with Za'atar.

Sourdough Crackers with Discard

Footer

Featured In

© 2022 Baked The Blog. This site uses affiliate links.

Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Copyright© 2023