Simple Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cake
This pumpkin cake is super simple and full of cozy fall flavors. It's the perfect way to use up sourdough discard! Enjoy it for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Servings: 1 9 inch by 13 inch cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or substitute all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger optional
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup brown sugar increase to 1 cup for a sweeter cake
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt see notes for substitutes
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard (120 grams)
- 1/2 cup pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper or grease with butter or nonstick spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, greek yogurt, and oil. Then add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until incorporated. Then add the vanilla extract and sourdough discard and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Then add the pecans, if using. Stir until incorporated, then pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean (there may still be a few tiny crumbs).
- Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to separate it from the baking dish. Then slice the cake and enjoy!
Notes
Greek yogurt - Greek yogurt keeps this cake extra moist. You can use full fat, nonfat, or anything in between! Although I recommend greek yogurt, plain yogurt will work in a pinch. If you don't have yogurt, try substituting sour cream, buttermilk, or neutral oil.
Sourdough discard - I recommend using newer sourdough discard because older discard can be very acidic. Discard that has been kept in the fridge for 1-3 days should be fine, but I wouldn't recommend going over that. Don't worry, you won't taste the sour flavor in the final cake! I also recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out the sourdough discard because volumes can vary.
Cream cheese frosting - If you would like to add a cream cheese frosting to this cake, I recommend following the frosting recipe from Sugar Spun Run! I didn't include it with this cake, because I wanted to keep it super simple.