Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cake Recipe

This cake truly has to be one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made. I have been slowly searching for a favorite chocolate cake for years, and I am so excited to have a recipe that fits the bill in this sourdough discard chocolate cake. The depth of chocolate flavor is wonderful; it’s not overly sweet, the cake is moist and rich, and it pairs beautifully with my homemade chocolate buttercream. You will love this one! 

Chocolate is a favorite in our house, so I wasn’t surprised when my oldest daughter requested it for her birthday. I didn’t want to use my old go-to recipe, and I’m so grateful now that I branched out! I had never made a cake with sourdough discard, so I was curious how that would work in cakes. After a little recipe research, I found that it is fairly common and easy to do. And, not so surprisingly, it’s absolutely delicious. The flavor of sourdough does not necessarily come through, but I think it makes this cake rich and moist and adds depth of flavor to the chocolate.

To begin, prep two 8-inch round cake pans. I always prepare my pans the same way, and thankfully, my cakes never stick! First, lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper that is cut to fit snugly into the bottom. Next, grease the pan once more on top of the parchment paper. Lastly, lightly flour the bottom and sides of the pan and dump out any excess flour. It seems like a lot of steps, but I promise it is worth it for your cake to release smoothly from the pan after baking. Once the pans are prepped, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the cake, first combine the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, & salt – in a bowl and whisk them together. Set the dry ingredients to the side for a moment. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. At this point, the batter will closely resemble wet sand.

Next, add in the sourdough discard and oil and mix until incorporated. You will probably have to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl several times throughout this process. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined. Then, add in the buttermilk and vanilla and mix together. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Last, add the hot water, which should be about 190-200 degrees F. Using hot water will help the cocoa to “bloom” or intensify in flavor.

Pour the finished batter evenly into the two prepared pans and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove them from the pans and let them cool completely. 

Once the cake layers are cooled and the buttercream is made, stack the cake and serve. This cake should keep for several days in an airtight container, but I doubt it will last that long! It is SO good!

When I make a cake, I usually split the work up over two days. On day one, I make the cake layers. After they have cooled completely, I wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer until needed. On day two, I make the frosting, stack and decorate the cake. When the cake layers are frozen and firm, they are much easier to work with, and it makes stacking a cake so easy. This method allows me to spread the work out or to work on a cake ahead of time and still have a fresh cake! 

I’m already looking forward to making this one again soon. I hope you enjoy!

Anna

Print Recipe

Sourdough Discard Chocolate Cake

With wonderful depth of flavor, this cake is moist and rich but not overly sweet, and it pairs beautifully with homemade chocolate buttercream. This is the perfect chocolate cake!

Source: Anna Reid

Course: Desserts

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Total Time: 1 hr

Serves: 1 Scale Update

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• ³⁄₄ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ³⁄₄ cup brown sugar
• ²⁄₃ cup sourdough discard (145 g) room temperature
• ¹⁄₂ cup oil
• 2 eggs room temperature
• ²⁄₃ cup buttermilk room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¹⁄₂ cup hot water (~190 F)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep two 8 inch round cake pans by greasing, lining with parchment, and lightly flouring.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. The mixture will resemble wet sand.
4. Add in the sourdough discard and oil and mix until combined. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl when needed.
5. Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and mix until combined.
6. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients followed by the hot water.
7. Pour the batter evenly into the two prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.
8. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream & enjoy!

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