A moist and fluffy apple cake recipe re-imagined with active sourdough starter (or sourdough discard) and a buttery, crumble topping. Make it now, or ferment overnight in the fridge to maximize flavor and digestibility. You’re gonna love this one!
I’m a huge fan of grandma cakes. The non-pretentious kind that are simple and straight forward to make. That’s this cake. No icing. No layers. Just a moist interior crumb with tantalizing golden edges and hints of toasty cinnamon throughout. I’ve made this sourdough discard recipe many, many times for friends and family and it always gets rave reviews.
Inspired by my fresh apple cake, this updated version includes 1/2 cup of tangy sourdough starter baking soda, and a splash of milk to lighten the texture. It’s perfectly fluffy, not-too-sweet and it can be made in advance!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Bake now, or bake later. It’s flexible.
For immediate execution: combine the wet and dry ingredients, fold in the apples, top with crumbles and bake right away.
Or, to bake later: prepare as indicated above and ferment the batter overnight in the fridge. The naturally occurring enzymes and friendly bacteria in your sourdough starter makes this cake easier to digest, while amplifying the flavor.
Plus, baking the next day is a breeze! Just pop the cake pan into the oven cold (just like my sourdough blueberry muffins) and enjoy the heavenly aroma while it bakes.
What Apples Are Best?
Use whatever apples you have on hand. Again, this recipe is flexible. I use Granny Smith apples which you can find all year round. But Macoun apples, Golden Delicious apples, or even Honey Crisp apples are delicious as well. Try a combination. Macintosh apples are the only variety to avoid. They’re great for applesauce, but tend to get mushy and break down when baked in cakes.
Note: When first testing this recipe, I used Granny Smith apples totally past their prime with wrinkly skin (they were sitting out in the fruit bowl for too long) and the end result was still great. They’re remained tart and sweet, and held their shape nicely even after 55 minutes in the oven.
Sourdough Apple Cake Ingredients: You Will Need
- Butter
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Sourdough starter
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Fine sea salt salt
- Milk
- Apples
How To Make Sourdough Apple Cake: Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch springform pan; set aside.
- Make the crumbles: combine the flour, sugar and salt in shallow bowl. Toss well to evenly distribute the salt. Add the butter. Mix with your fingertips to form crumbles.
- Peel and chop the apples into a rough 1/2-inch dice.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Note: I use a stand mixer for convenience. However, the batter can be mixed by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula as pictured above.
- Add the sourdough starter.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix to combine.
- Pour in the milk.
- Fold in the chopped apples. The texture will be thick!
- Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth it out. Scatter the crumble topping over the top.
- To bake now: place cake on the center rack and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- To ferment overnight: cover with plastic wrap and chill up to 12 hours. In the morning, bake straight from cold.
- Cool for at least 1 hour or more before slicing.
Helpful Tips:
- I prefer an 8-inch springform pan for this recipe, which makes the cake higher and more voluminous. If you don’t have one, a standard 9-inch springform pan can be used instead (just reduce the bake time slightly to compensate for the wider pan).
- If you only have salted butter, omit the additional salt in the cake batter and the crumble topping.
- This cake is best served barely warm or at room temperature. In my opinion, the taste, texture and structure improves with time. I bake this cake in the morning and serve later in the day, giving it a few hours to cool on the kitchen counter (minimum 1 hour).
More Sourdough Discard Recipes To Try!
- Best Sourdough Pancakes
- Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread
- Homemade Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- Secret Ingredient Sourdough Cornbread
- Best Sourdough Pasta {1 Hr. or Overnight}
Overnight Sourdough Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A moist and fluffy apple cake recipe made with butter, light brown sugar, sourdough starter (active or sourdough discard!) and a buttery, crumble topping. Make it now, or ferment overnight in the fridge to maximize flavor and digestibility. For best results, use an 8-inch springform pan for height and volume.
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 115 g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 100 g sourdough starter (appx. 1/2 cup) active or fresh sourdough starter discard
- 190 g (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup milk
- 300 g peeled and chopped apples, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2–3 apples)
For The Crumble Topping
- 75 g all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 g unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan with butter; set aside.
- Make the crumble topping: add the flour, salt and sugar to a small bowl. Toss well to evenly distribute the salt. Add the butter and mix with your fingertips until small crumbles form; set aside.
- Peel and chop the apples into 1/2-inch dice; set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment: cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the sourdough starter.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Pour in the milk (the batter will be thick).
- Fold in the apples by hand using a rubber spatula.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Scatter the crumbles over the top.
- At this point, you can bake the cake right away (see next step) or ferment overnight. To ferment overnight, see the notes section below.
- Bake the cake on the center rack for 55- 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Cut into slices and enjoy!
Notes
For Overnight Fermentation: Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap. Chill overnight in the refrigerator, up to 12 hours. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the cake (cold) for approximately 55-60 minutes on the center rack. Test with a toothpick for doneness. If the cake starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.
Keywords: sourdough, discard, apple, cake, easy, homemade, recipe, sourdough starter, dessert, overnight
Comments
Sydney says
Truly divine! Fluffy, not overly sweet. Warm and cinnamony. The crumble was a beautiful touch, as I’m not huge on glazes! My first bite felt like a big hug. This recipe will get written down and baked every year during autumn. Thank you!
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
A big hug. I like that! Thank you Sydney!
Chandni Jhaveri says
Hi! I love your recipes! I bought your book Artisan Sourdough Made Simple a while ago and I’ve tried almost every vegan recipe in there! My question to you is, can this recipe be made vegan-friendly?
Emilie Raffa says
Yay! Thank you so much! I haven’t tested a vegan version of this. Off the top of my head: vegan butter and plant milk should be fine. Just two things: if your vegan butter is salted, omit the salt in the cake batter and crumbles, respectively. Also: you’ll need a reliable egg substitute.
Amanda says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Can I use shredded apples instead of chopped? I have a family member with texture issues.
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo, I like this question. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not? Let me know how it goes!
Esra says
I made the cake yesterday/today with apples from our garden and it’s a great recipe, thank you so much! The overnight fermentation gives it a wonderful flavour.
I wonder if it would work to freeze some pieces of it?
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Yes, definitely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze. Defrost at room temperature.
Nic says
Very keen to try this one! Could this work as muffins too?
Emilie Raffa says
Great question. The answer is yes, but I haven’t tried it yet! Off the top of my head, I would fill the muffin cups 2/3- 3/4 full and bake for 18+ minutes on the center rack. If you experiment, let me know how it goes.
sigrid says
What an excellent apple cake recipe and the addition of sourdough makes it perfect. Thank you so much. My family loved it.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
I’m thrilled to hear this. Thanks Sigrid!
Elisa says
Looks terrific! Could this work using vegan butter and oat milk please?
Emilie Raffa says
Yes! A few things: ff your vegan butter contains salt, omit the salt in the cake batter and the crumbles (on that note, I’ve never made crumbles with vegan butter before, but I can’t see a problem using it). Oat milk is fine. As always, when using substitutions, the final texture will be slightly different compared to the original but still good!
Carol says
Can’t wait to try this. I have my friend who also uses your book as her sour dough Bible coming to visit in a couple of weeks and have fresh Gravenstein apples that need to be used soon. Do you think it can be made ahead and frozen?
Your chili cheese, cinnamon raisin, everyday sourdough, mighty multigrain and multigrain are on regular rotation along with your focaccia for pizza
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo… I love that. Sourdough bible ;) About freezing the (unbaked) cake, I’ve never tried it so I’m unable to advise on specifics. If you experiment let me know! As an alternative, you can always bake the cake, let it cool, wrap it tightly and then freeze.
Carol says
I meant to say baked cake! I’ll do that and look forward to enjoying next moth! Thank you.
Sabrina says
I love this recipe. I did the overnight bake and it gives it almost more of a coffee cake like flavor and texture. It was light and not overly sweet. I might experiment with the crumble. I’m thinking an almond flour crumble or oats might be really nice too. I like this recipe because I can make it the night before and bake it off right before I need it.
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you Sabrina! Yes, it definitely has coffee cake vibes. I like your suggestions about using oats and/or almond flour. Play around!
Lisa says
My apple trees have given me a bountiful harvest this year so I used a combination of varieties in this cake. Lovely balance of tart and sweet. Great crumb. The hardest thing is waiting to cut into the cake! I’m going to try it again with ginger instead of cinnamon and sliced almonds in the crumble!
Your recipes never fail!
★★★★★
Stacey says
Do you think a bundt pan would work for this recipe? I don’t have a spring form. Thanks!
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo… great question. A bundt pan should work (haven’t tried it though). Just two things: make sure it’s well buttered so the cake doesn’t stick. And reduce the bake time if necessary to compensate for the larger pan. Just keep an eye on it. Please let me know if you experiment with this- I’ll update the recipe for those who’d like to use a bundt pan too. Thanks!
Stacey says
Thanks for your help, I will be sure to let you know.
Emilie Raffa says
Lisa, you are SO lucky to have apple trees growing in your yard. What varieties? I’m curious! Sliced almonds sound wonderful.
Susan C Hammond says
What other pans can be used in addition to springform?
Emilie Raffa says
Susan, a regular 9-inch cake pan will work. The final cake just won’t be as tall. Just reduce the bake time as needed time to compensate for the larger pan size.
Merrill Hill says
Must the sourdough discard already be very active for it to work okay in this recipe?
Emilie Raffa says
If using sourdough discard, it doesn’t have to be active. Typically, discard isn’t very active to begin with (but it all depends…). The only thing though, is make sure your discard is fresh. Meaning, you’re not using discard that’s been sitting in the fridge for months. It will taste too sour. Feed your starter a few times and use the discard from your freshly fed starter for this cake.
Angela W says
Looking forward to trying this. I made your overnight blueberry muffins so I’m sure this will be delicious. What do you think if I make them in my muffin tin?
★★★★★
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Angela! Another reader asked this same question ;) I haven’t tried the muffin version yet. However, off the top of my head: fill the muffin cups 2/3- 3/4 full and bake for 18+ minutes on the center rack. If you experiment, let me know and I’ll update the recipe.