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

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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.