Sourdough Vanilla Cake
A light, tender vanilla cake with a subtle depth of flavor—all thanks to your sourdough discard! This cake is soft, buttery, and perfectly sweet, making it a fantastic way to use your starter beyond bread.
If you love baking with sourdough but haven’t tried it in cake yet, this is your sign to start! The natural acidity in sourdough enhances the texture, making this cake extra moist and tender while adding just a hint of complexity to the flavor. Topped with a classic vanilla buttercream, this is the kind of cake you’ll want to make again and again—for birthdays, celebrations, or just because!
Adding sourdough to cake isn’t just about using up discard—it actually makes the cake better!
- Creates a softer, more tender crumb – The acidity in sourdough helps keep the cake light and moist.
- Enhances the flavor – Adds a subtle depth without making it taste “sour.”
- Balances sweetness – A mild tang rounds out the sugar, making each bite even better.
This sourdough vanilla cake is soft, flavorful, and the perfect way to use up extra sourdough discard. Whether you’re baking for a celebration or just craving something sweet, this cake is easy to make, endlessly versatile, and absolutely delicious. Once you try this awesome vanilla cake, make sure you try sourdough chocolate cake, and sourdough coffee cake, too! Both are just as fantastic!
Why you’ll love this recipe
✔ A great use for sourdough discard – No waste, just a delicious cake!
✔ Soft, moist, and tender – The perfect balance of fluffy and rich.
✔ Simple & easy to make – No complicated steps, just mix, bake, and enjoy!
✔ Perfect for any occasion – Birthdays, gatherings, or a casual treat.
How to make a vanilla cake with sourdough discard
This simple, no-fuss recipe comes together easily with just a few steps. Here is a brief overview of the recipe so you know what to expect. For the full recipe, make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prep
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch cake pan.
- If using sourdough discard from the fridge, bring it to room temperature before starting.
Step 2: Mix the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- Cut soft butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix for 3-5 minutes, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium, until the batter is smooth, without over-mixing.
Step 3: Bake the cake
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Recipe Note: Want a stronger sourdough flavor? Use discard that has been stored in the fridge for a few days. Prefer a milder taste? Use freshly fed starter!
Ways to customize this cake
- Make cupcakes – Divide the batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes.
- Make a layer cake – Divide the batter between two 8-inch round pans for a classic layer cake.
- Switch up the frosting – Try chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting, or caramel glaze!
- Add mix-ins – Stir in chocolate chips, fresh berries, or a sprinkle of cinnamon for extra flavor.
Storage tips
✔ At room temperature: Store covered for up to 2 days.
✔ In the fridge: Keeps well for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
✔ Freezing: Wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
Sourdough is better when shared
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rating below.
Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this recipe, please link to the post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thank you so much for supporting me. XOXO – Jenni
Sourdough Vanilla Cake
This soft and fluffy sourdough vanilla cake is the perfect way to use sourdough discard! Light, tender, and topped with creamy vanilla buttercream, it’s an easy and delicious treat for any occasion.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup granted sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter, 100% hydration
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Grease a 9×13 cake pan.
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In a large sized mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, milk, sourdough discard, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
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In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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To the flour mixture, add in the soft room temperature butter. Using your fingers, two forks, or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse sand, with some pea sized butter remaining.
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Add the flour/butter mixture to the large mixing bowl. Using a hand held electric mixer, mix, mix for 3-5 minutes, until the batter is mostly lump free. Start on low speed and gradually work your way up to medium speed.
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Pour into the prepared 9×13 pan and spread out so the batter is even in the pan.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
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Allow to cool in the pan completely.
Vanilla Buttercream
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In a medium mixing bowl, mix the room temperature butter with a handheld electric mixer until the butter is soft and fluffy.
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Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine. I recommend starting with just ½ cup and mixing that, and then adding 1 cup, mixing, and then adding the final cup and mixing. That way the butter can slowly absorb the sugar and the sugar won’t fly all over your kitchen.
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Add in the vanilla extract, pinch of salt, and ¼ cup of milk. Mix until smooth.
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Taste and adjust for your preferences. If you want your frosting to be thicker, add a little more powdered sugar. If you want the frosting to be thinner and softer, add a splash more of milk.
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Frost and decorate the cake as desired.
Notes
I plan on trying this delicious sounding recipe. I have a question regarding sourdough starter:
1/2 cup sourdough starter, 100% hydration
Should I use my sourdough starter? Or use my discard? I keep a sourdough discard jar in the refrigerator
I’m new at making sourdough bread, and I’ve only made one discard recipe (it was awesome!).
I don’t understand what is meant: “…starter, 100% hydration.
Thank you.
Rita
Hi Rita! Great question! Your starter and your discard is the same thing, the only difference is that you are actively feeding and keeping the activity level of your starter up. The discard is just sleepy, un-fed starter. At any point you can feed your discard and get active starter again! You can use either in this recipe. Using discard will give it more of that sourdough tang flavor, and using active starter will make it more subtle. The hydration rate refers to the amount of flour vs water that you feed your starter by weight. 100% hydration means that you feed it equal amounts of flour and water (by weight!). So if you have 50 grams of starter, you feed it 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!