Easy Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake Recipe
This easy sourdough discard coffee cake is soft, buttery, and topped with a sweet powdered sugar finish that tastes somewhere between an old-fashioned coffee cake and a funnel cake treat. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up leftover sourdough starter discard because it comes together quickly with simple pantry ingredients and stays incredibly moist and tender.
The subtle sourdough flavor balances the sweetness perfectly without making the cake taste sour. Around here, this sourdough discard coffee cake rarely lasts more than a few hours before someone sneaks back for another slice. It’s perfect for lazy weekend mornings, afternoon coffee breaks, holiday brunches, or whenever your sourdough starter jar starts overflowing in the fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake
- Uses up leftover sourdough starter discard in a genuinely delicious way
- Soft, moist cake with a tender crumb and buttery cinnamon topping
- Tastes like a cross between old-fashioned coffee cake and a powdered sugar donut
- Easy to make with simple pantry ingredients
- Perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon coffee, or dessert
- Stays soft and delicious the next morning
- Beginner-friendly and works with either cold or room temperature discard
What Does Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake Taste Like?
This sourdough discard coffee cake has a mellow flavor and is not overly sweet. Most of the sweetness comes from drizzling maple syrup over the top, similar to how pancakes are not especially sweet until syrup is added. It does not taste strongly sour like sourdough bread.
The inside stays moist and tender while the top develops a sweet cinnamon crumble that reminds me of a fresh bakery coffee cake or powdered sugar donut. Around the edges of the pan, the butter creates slightly crispy golden bites that honestly taste a little like funnel cake.
The sourdough discard adds depth of flavor more than noticeable sourness, making this one of my favorite sweet sourdough discard recipes for sharing with people who are new to sourdough baking.
INGREDIENTS FOR EASY SOURDOUGH COFFEE CAKE
Wet Ingredients
200 GRAMS SOURDOUGH STARTER DISCARD || Sourdough starter discard is the portion of unfed sourdough starter removed before feeding your starter with fresh flour and water. Instead of throwing it away, it can be used in delicious sourdough discard recipes like pancakes, muffins, crackers, and this easy sourdough discard coffee cake.
Discard adds a subtle sourdough tang and extra depth of flavor while helping create a soft, tender crumb. This recipe works well with either cold discard straight from the fridge or room temperature discard.
Older discard will usually create a slightly tangier flavor, while recently fed discard tastes more mild.
If you do not already have a starter, you can learn how to make a sourdough starter here.
4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER, DIVIDED || I use a fork to mix half of the butter in the coffee cake batter and use the other half to grease the cast iron skillet. The result is a buttery, crispy golden crust around the edges of the skillet. Read How to Make Butter if you'd like to learn how to make your own from scratch!
Dry Ingredients
1 TABLESPOON BAKING POWDER | Baking powder helps lighten the batter and gives the coffee cake its fluffy texture.
2 TABLESPOONS SUGAR || This recipe is lightly sweet on its own, but becomes extra cozy and dessert-like with maple syrup drizzled over the top. If you are not planning on serving this with maple syrup, I would add a few extra tablespoons of sugar.
1 TABLESPOON OATS || I love dusting coffee cakes with a sprinkle of oats and brown sugar. It adds a layer of streusel-like texture to the coffee cake. Quick oats or steel cut oats are both fine!
1 HEAPING TABLESPOON BROWN SUGAR || I prefer using light brown. It has less of a strong molasses flavor.
1 HEAPING teaspoon CINNAMON, DIVIDED || Half of the cinnamon will be mixed into the batter. I add the remaining half to the faux-streusel topping. A little bit of warm cinnamon in each delicious bite!
¼ TEASPOON SEA SALT || A little salt balances the sweetness and helps bring out the warm cinnamon flavor.
1 TABLESPOON POWDERED SUGAR || Just for fun, a dusting of powdered sugar makes this coffee cake feel extra special.
OPTIONAL || A teaspoon of store-bought or homemade vanilla extract in the batter. I also have made a blueberry coffee cake version of this recipe with fresh blueberries on top of the batter and it was delicious!
SERVING SUGGESTION || Maple syrup for serving! Think of this as a crispy funnel-cake mixed with a pancake.
How to make this Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake Recipe
- If the sourdough starter has been stored in the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for thirty minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet. Setting the oven to medium heat and letting the skillet slowly creep up to temperature allows it to cook evenly and be nonstick.
- Add the starter, baking powder, 2 tablespoons of butter, white sugar, half of the cinnamon and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk it together. This will be a thick batter!
- Add two tablespoons of butter to the skillet and swirl it around the bottom and sides of the pan. It will begin to turn bubbly and brown, just like the browned butter I use in my SNICKERDOODLES. Browned butter has definitely become a lasting obsession in my kitchen!
- Pour the batter into the skillet and gently spread it out over the melted butter.
- For the best crumble topping, sprinkle the oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon evenly across the top of the batter before baking. As the coffee cake bakes, the butter around the edges of the skillet helps create crisp golden pockets and buttery caramelized edges. The topping lightly melts into the cake while still adding texture and warm cinnamon flavor to every bite.
- Watch as the coffee cake begins to lightly fry along the edges of the pan. After about two minutes, the edge of the cake will be slightly crisped and cooked. Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking for about ten minutes.
- After the coffee cake has cooled a bit, my boys like to dust their slice with powdered sugar. This is the easy way to get kids excited about a delicious coffee cake!
Helpful Tools
You won't need a stand mixer or even a hand mixer for this original recipe! The only thing you'll need is a medium or large bowl to stir the sourdough mixture in and a cast iron skillet for baking. I am using a small skillet, and would recommend an 8 or 10-inch. The batter will resemble a thick pancake batter and can be stirred with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Why Bake This Coffee Cake in Cast Iron?
One of my favorite parts of this sourdough discard coffee cake is the texture you get from baking it in a cast iron skillet. As the butter melts around the edges of the pan, the batter lightly fries and caramelizes against the hot skillet, creating crispy buttery edges that taste almost like a funnel cake or old-fashioned donut.
Cast iron also holds heat incredibly well, which helps the coffee cake bake evenly while keeping the center soft and tender. The contrast between the golden crisp edges and the moist middle is what makes this recipe so unique compared to a traditional fluffy bakery-style coffee cake.
If you have never baked coffee cake in a cast iron skillet before, this is the recipe that will convince you to start.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Sourdough Starter Discard Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 8-10" cast iron skillet
- whisk
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 200 grams sourdough starter discard hungry or fed
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder heaping
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oats quick or steel cut
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- *maple syrup optional for serving
Instructions
- If the sourdough starter and butter have been stored in the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for thirty minutes to loosen up a bit. Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet. I do this by placing it on the stovetop over medium heat for about two minutes until it is very hot but NOT smoking. If it begins to smoke, I remove it from the heat until it cools slightly.
- While the skillet is preheating, add the sourdough starter, baking powder, two tablespoons of softened butter, sugar, and half of the cinnamon and the sea salt to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add remaining two tablespoons of butter to the skillet and swirl it around the bottom and sides of the pan. It will melt and turn bubbly brown.
- Pour the batter into then skillet with the melted butter. Gently spread it out, but DO NOT MIX IT WITH THE BUTTER.
- For the best crumble topping, sprinkle the oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. evenly across the top of the batter before baking. As the coffee cake bakes, the butter around the edges of the skillet helps create crisp golden pockets and buttery caramelized edges.The topping lightly melts into the cake while still adding texture and warm cinnamon flavor to every bite.
- To serve, dust with powdered sugar. This coffee cake is best if eaten immediately, but can be stored at room temperature for about a day.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tips for the Best Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake
Use Room Temperature Ingredients for the Best Texture
Room temperature sourdough discard mixes more smoothly into the batter and helps create a softer, more even crumb. If the discard is extremely cold, the melted butter can firm up too quickly in the batter.
If I forget to pull the discard out ahead of time, I usually let it sit on the counter for 20–30 minutes before mixing.
Don’t Worry if the Batter Seems Thick
This coffee cake batter is thicker than a typical cake batter, especially if your sourdough discard is on the thicker side. A thick batter helps support the buttery crumble topping and creates that soft, tender texture once baked.
Resist the urge to thin it out with extra liquid unless the batter seems unusually dry.
How to Keep the Crumble Topping Crisp
For the best crumb topping, make sure the butter is evenly worked into the dry ingredients before sprinkling it over the cake batter. The topping should resemble damp sand with some larger buttery crumbs throughout.
As the cake bakes, the cinnamon crumble melts slightly into the top while still creating crisp golden pockets around the edges of the pan.
Avoid Overbaking for a Moist Crumb
The easiest way to dry out coffee cake is overbaking it. Start checking the center of the cake a few minutes early since ovens can vary quite a bit.
The cake is done when the center is just set and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs instead of wet batter.
This sourdough discard coffee cake stays especially soft and moist the next morning when stored in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This recipe works with either active sourdough starter or sourdough starter discard. Active starter may give the cake a slightly lighter texture, but both versions bake beautifully.
No. The sourdough flavor is very mild in this recipe. The discard adds depth of flavor and helps create a tender, moist crumb without making the cake taste strongly sour.
Yes. Store the cooled coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2–3 days. The texture actually stays surprisingly soft and moist the next morning.
This batter is naturally thicker than many cake batters, especially if your sourdough discard is cold or very mature. A thicker batter helps support the crumble topping and gives the finished cake a soft, tender texture.
Yes. Once fully cooled, wrap individual slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.
Final Thoughts
If you have extra sourdough starter sitting in the fridge, this sourdough discard coffee cake is one of the most delicious ways to use it up. It’s simple, cozy, buttery, and just sweet enough to feel special without being overly rich.
The tender crumb, cinnamon crumble topping, and crispy buttery edges make this one of those recipes people keep sneaking bites of straight from the pan. Around here, it rarely lasts until the next morning.
Whether you make it for a slow weekend breakfast, a holiday brunch, afternoon coffee with a friend, or just because your starter jar is overflowing again, I hope this recipe becomes one of your favorite sourdough discard recipes too.
And if you make it, I’d truly love to hear how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below or tag me on social media so I can see your version!
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I made the coffee cake but was totally surprised that no added flour was called for. It was very flat.
It is flat! Sort of like a cross between a pancake and a funnel cake. It's a fast and easy way to use up sourdough starter discard as simply (and tasty!) as possible.
Sounds delish! But am I missing something… I don’t see instructions for using the maple syrup?
Hi Gina!
We like to generously drizzle maple syrup on top, just like a pancake! It adds a delicious sweetness to this recipe.
- Meg
What a find!!! So easy and it was tender and delicious. I added chopped pecans. Thanks for sharing this. I’m saving it now. 😄