Easy Sourdough Chocolate Cake

This easy sourdough chocolate cake recipe is definitely one of the best ways to use up your sourdough discard. It uses one bowl and takes only a few minutes to mix up!

Sourdough baking’s rise in popularity is one of the few really great things that have come out of 2020. But you know what’s even better? You can use that starter to make cake, like this easy, one-bowl, absolutely perfect sourdough chocolate cake.

Adding sourdough starter, whether it’s active or your discard for the day, won’t actually make your cake sour. It simply adds that a subtle tang it’s fabulous for, making the cake more complex, and contrasting nicely with the sweetness of cake and the bitterness of chocolate.

Ingredients for an Easy Bowl Sourdough Chocolate Cake

• 1/2 cup of sourdough starter–it can be active (bubbling and recently fed), or this is a great way to use your discard!
• 1/2 cup buttermilk –If you don’t have buttermilk, you can whisk a few tablespoons of yogurt into some milk to make up half a cup. Alternatively, this is a great recipe to use kefir.
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup melted butter— you can substitute melted coconut oil, or any other oil you prefer.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar — I like to use organic cane sugar, but any granulated sugar will work well for this recipe.
• 1/4 + 2 Tbsp. cup cocoa powder–I use Dutch process cocoa, but natural cocoa powder will work also. Dark cocoa powder is the best substitute.
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

How to Make Easy Sourdough Chocolate Cake

• Begin be preheating your oven to 350°F and place a baking rack in the center of the rack. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sourdough starter, buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.
• Place a large sifter over the bowl. Put the all purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and salt in it. Gently stir and shake it into the wet ingredients, then stir them together until the batter is completely mixed and cohesive.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the oven.
• Bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before frosting and decorating.
• Store the cake in an airtight container on the counter. If you use a frosting that requires refrigeration, allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

I used this Chocolate Fudge Frosting for the cake in these pictures. They pair very well for maximum chocolatey decadence.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• If you want to make a 9×13″ cake, this recipe is easy to double! Add 3 whole eggs instead of 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks.
• You can use your active sourdough starter or discard for this recipe.

Looking for other ways to use your sourdough starter?
Click here for a list full of ideas that you’ll love!

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