A classic cake with a sourdough twist, this moist and tender sourdough Bundt cake boasts a rich, buttery vanilla flavor with the subtle tang of sourdough.
The word Bundt is a derivative of the German word for “a cake for a gathering”. And how incredibly appropriate.
Bundt cakes might seem like something your grandma would make for a special occasion, something that isn’t necessarily new and exciting, but your grandma knew what she was doing.
Legendary for their rich, moist crumb, Bundt cakes are tried and true and absolutely perfect to serve with coffee at any gathering, any time.
This sourdough Bundt cake is no exception.
Sourdough enhances this recipe, adding a quiet tang that compliments the warm, buttery flavor. Discard also increases the tenderness of the crumb, the acidity inhibiting gluten development and heightening the airiness (but still stir it gently). The result is a slice of cake with a texture that may be described as creamy…decadent…exquisite.
Drizzled with a simple glaze, this delightful treat is uncomplicated, made of simple pantry staples, and widely loved.
Sourdough Recipes
If you haven’t jumped on the sourdough bandwagon yet, I have posts on how to make a sourdough starter, how to maintain and feed a starter, and even how to use a starter. It’s too good not to share all the details!
You’ve certainly heard all about sourdough bread, and I have a whole host of recipes, like whole wheat sourdough dinner rolls, sourdough oatmeal bread, or this easy buttermilk sourdough bread, but you also need to know about all of the delicious desserts!
We have too many favorites, but some that we’ve recently enjoyed are sourdough discard monster cookies, sourdough monkey bread, sourdough discard blondies, and sourdough strawberry cream cheese cobbler – which is currently perfectly timed with strawberry season upon us.
So enjoy a thick slice of this sourdough Bundt cake with a cup of coffee and let me know what you think!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Classic flavors – With cozy vanilla notes and the full flavor of real butter, this sourdough Bundt cake is delightfully sweet. You’ll notice that I love to sourdough the classics – like sourdough chocolate cake, sourdough carrot cake, lemon sourdough pound cake, and sourdough vanilla cake – because the classics are already amazing, and sourdough amps the flavor, texture, and nutritional benefits.
Tender, moist crumb – These cakes are enriched with butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk, which in combination with sourdough discard, yield a sliceable, moist crumb.
Elegant and beautiful – Bundt pans are ring-shaped and come in all kinds of lovely and fun designs, adding beautiful and sophisticated detail to these simple, golden cakes.
Ingredients
Butter – I use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter you can just leave out or reduce the additional salt. Also, use room temperature, soft butter, not melted butter.
Sourdough discard – Discard is fully fermented and has a stronger flavor that will be more apparent in this recipe. You can use an active sourdough starter, but the flavor may not be as evident.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Bundt pan – A Bundt cake pan provides the signature shape with all kinds of designs available, but you can also use a tube pan.
Stand mixer – or electric mixer. Makes the process much easier.
How to Make Sourdough Bundt Cake
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your Bundt pan by oiling and flouring the bottom and sides of the pan.In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and sourdough discard, mixing until well combined.
Step 2: Add one egg at a time with the mixer on low speed, then add vanilla. Mix until well combined.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 4: With the mixer on low, alternate adding 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the milk until combined (without overmixing).
Step 5: Pour the cake batter into your prepared Bundt pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to even it out.
Step 6: Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step 7: Make the glaze by whisking the milk and powdered sugar until smooth, then drizzle over the top.
Tips
- Don’t pack the flour when measuring. A kitchen scale can be very helpful in reducing dirty dishes and having accurate measurements.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter, as this may affect the tenderness.
- Most recipes will advise to oil and flour your Bundt pan to prevent sticking. This was unnecessary with my ceramic-coated Bundt pan. Oiling the pan worked better for me.
- Let the cake cool for 15 – 20 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan.
- Glaze the cake on the cooling rack to keep your cake plate clean, or glaze on the cake plate so you don’t waste any glaze.
- Add a decadent scoop of homemade ice cream to put this over the top.
- Add lemon juice or lemon zest to the glaze for a tasty spin.
Recipe FAQs
Sourdough Bundt cake can be wrapped up and left on the counter for a few days, but it will stay fresher for longer if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
A Bundt pan gives the signature shape and often adds embellishment through the pan’s design, and the even heat distribution helps the cake to bake consistently. You can achieve this through a tube pan, but typical cake pans will need the baking time adjusted and still may not turn out quite the same.
Sourdough adds tenderness to the crumb and depth of flavor.
A moist cake is a result of being baked properly, as well as having rich ingredients like butter, sour cream, eggs, and milk.
You’ll want to wait for the cake to cool a bit before flipping the pan over. I recommend 15 – 20 minutes before flipping the cake.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Brownies
- Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
- The Best Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- Sourdough Coffee Cake
- Danish Sourdough Pastries
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Bundt Cake
Equipment
- Bundt pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 226g
- 2 cups granulated sugar, 400g
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, 240g
- ½ cup sourdough discard, 125g
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 10g
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 420g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda, 3g
- ½ teaspoon salt, 2.5g
- 1 cup whole milk, 244g
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 – 3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare your Bundt pan by oiling and flouring the sides and bottom of the pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and sourdough discard, mixing until well combined.
- Add one egg at a time with the mixer on low, then add vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- With the mixer on low, alternate adding 1/3 of the dry ingredients and 1/3 of the milk until combined.
- Pour into your prepared Bundt pan. Tap on the counter a few times to even it out.
- Bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze by whisking the milk and powdered sugar until smooth, then drizzle over the top.
Notes
- Don’t pack the flour when measuring. A kitchen scale can be very helpful in reducing dirty dishes and having accurate measurements.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter, as this may affect the tenderness.
- Most recipes will advise to oil and flour your Bundt pan to prevent sticking. This was unnecessary with my ceramic-coated Bundt pan. Oiling the pan worked better for me.
- Let the cake cool for 15-20 minutes before attempting to remove it from the pan.
- Glaze the cake on the cooling rack to keep your cake plate clean, or glaze on the cake plate so you don’t waste any glaze.
- Add a decadent scoop of homemade ice cream to put this over the top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use active starter instead of discard??
Yes.
This Bundt cake was delicious. I added lemon zest and lemon juice from1 lemon and only 1 tablespoon of milk for the glaze. Next time I’ll try zest and juice from 1 orange. Everyone loved this light and tasty cake. Thank you for the recipe.
Excelente receta, el pastel quedó delicioso. Reemplacé la crema agria por yogurt griego.
Me encantó!!! Gracias Lisa.
I made this cake using fresh milled soft white flour. I added an extra 3/4 cup or 105 grams of flour to the recipe. (I heard to add an extra 1/4 cup of fresh milled soft white to every cup of flour when making things such as cake, pancakes, quick breads etc.) I also mixed all ingredients together except for the salt, baking soda and baking powder and let it sit on the counter and long ferment all day. I then added the remaining ingredients and baked it for the recommended time.
This cake turned out amazing!!!! It was so moist and had the perfect balance of sweet and tang! Thank you for the recipe!!
Needed to use some sour cream and saw this recipe in my inbox. We needed dessert last night…
It is EXCELLENT!! I will be freezing some and sending some with my husband to work on Monday.
I am brand new to sourdough so I am eager to try new things.
Excellent!!
Super delicious!! So tender!!!