Sourdough Discard Apple Cake

Plated slice of apple cake with pan behind it.

4.88 from 8 votes

This easy sourdough discard cake is filled with apples, spice, and topped with a rich maple frosting. A delicious way to use your sourdough discard.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy apple cake, apple cake, sourdough cake, sourdough discard cake

Servings: pieces

Calories: 580kcal

Author: Renae Gerhardstein

Equipment

stand mixer
large mixing bowl
9x13-inch cake pan

Ingredients

1 cup sourdough starter discard or fed 12-24 hours prior *see notes below
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature or softened
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
3 large large eggs room temperature
2½ cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice **see notes for substitutions
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 medium apples peeled, cored, and grated or sliced into small pieces. **We use Honeycrisp, but any sweet apple will work

Maple Buttercream Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature or softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) aka powdered sugar
2 teaspoons maple extract or vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 13" x 9" cake pan with cooking spray.
Add butter, oil, sugar, and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes, until light in color and creamy.
In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients: flour, spices, and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients and stir on low speed for 30 seconds or fold together with a spoon by hand. Stir in apples and sourdough starter discard by hand until mixed together, about 30 seconds.
Pour sourdough apple cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add salt and maple extract.
Add frosting to the top of the cooled cake and serve.

Notes

To warm cold eggs quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes.

This recipe uses a discard or unfed sourdough starter, which means one that was fed 12-24 hours before starting the recipe. Our recipe does not use a starter that's at its peak when mixing the dough. A 100% hydration sourdough starter works best for this recipe.

Substitution for pumpkin pie spice:

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Using all purpose flour? Find out how to make your own self rising flour blend recipe.

Recipe Variations:

- Swap the frosting: Instead of maple cream cheese, try a simple vanilla glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar for a lighter topping. You can also add chopped walnuts or pecans on top for a little crunch. For chocolate goodness, add cocoa powder or Dutch chocolate.

- Use pears instead of apples: Pears bring a mellow sweetness and work just as well in this recipe. Choose ripe but firm pears and dice them small before folding them into the batter.

- Make it into muffins: Scoop the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes. This is a great option for breakfast or lunchbox treats.
- Add raisins or dried cranberries: Fold in ½ cup of raisins or cranberries for extra bursts of sweetness. This variation pairs nicely with the spice blend and sourdough flavor.

Storing Instruction:

Store it in the fridge, and then frost just before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Make Ahead Instruction:

To make it ahead, prepare and bake as directed.

Nutrition