Easy and Delicious Sourdough Discard Apple Cake Recipe (No-Wait)

Home » Sourdough Discard Recipes » Easy and Delicious Sourdough Discard Apple Cake Recipe (No-Wait)

Sourdough discard, apples, cinnamon, and a few other simple ingredients are combined to make this no-wait sourdough discard apple cake. It is a delicious recipe to make to avoid wasting sourdough discard when first building up a sourdough starter.

An overhead shot of a cast iron skillet with a sourdough discard apple cake.

Building up a sourdough starter requires discarding a certain amount of flour and water. It can feel wasteful to keep throwing away perfectly edible flour and water. Luckily there are lots of simple recipes you can make with sourdough discard.

This sourdough discard apple cake is a great option. It’s a no-wait sourdough recipe that has healthy fats and minimal sugar.

An overhead shot of two slices of homemade sourdough discard apple cake.

This cake is very low in sugar, with only honey or maple syrup being used for sweetness. So you may want to consider which kind of apples you use. You could use sweeter varieties such as fuji or gala apples.

Watch the video

Ingredients

Apples – any kind will do, although there is minimal sugar in this recipe, so if you prefer your cake to be sweet, consider using a sweeter apple such as fuji or gala apples.

Cinnamon – ground

Lemon – for the juice and zest

Honey Or Maple Syrup

Flour – organic all purpose flour works well

Baking Powder

Salt – I like pink Himalayan sea salt

Sourdough Discard

Eggs

Coconut Oil

Butter

Optional Sugar Spread Topping

Coconut Sugar Or Brown Sugar

Butter

For complete measurements, see the printable recipe card below.

Tools You May Need

Measuring cups and spoons

Two cast iron skillets

Two large bowls

Instructions

Pre-heat your over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.

An overhead shot of a person chopping red apples next to a hand iron skillet.

Slice or dice the apples. Add them into your skillet on low heat. Add butter, cinnamon, maple syrup, and lemon juice to the apples.

Heat the apples until they are soft. Then turn off the heat and set them aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder.

An overhead shot of a green pottery bowl with flour. There is a wooden spoon in the bowl.

Use your fingers to add in the lemon zest to the dry ingredients.

In a separate large bowl, combine eggs and honey or maple syrup.

Into the eggs and honey (or maple syrup) add the sourdough discard.

Finally, add in warm (but not melted) coconut oil. It’s best to avoid adding in melted coconut oil because the heat could kill off any good bacteria that have already started to form in the sourdough discard.

Mix until the wet ingredients are combined.

An overhead shot of a green pottery bowl with sourdough discard apple cake batter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine. Then split the batter in half.

Coat a cast iron skillet with butter.

Add half of the batter to the base of the skillet.

An overhead shot of a cast iron skillet with sourdough discard apple cake batter.

Layer in 1/2 of the cooked apples on top of the base of batter.

An overhead shot of cooked apples with cinnamon in a small bowl.

Layer in the other half of the batter on top of the apples.

Add the rest of the cooked apples to the top of the cake.

Put the skillet into the over for about 30-35 minutes.

An overhead shot of homemade sourdough discard apple cake in a cast iron skillet. There is a slice of cake beside the skillet.

Optional – Sugar Spread Topping

It’s optional but you could add a sugar spread topping to the cake.

To make this, combine coconut sugar or brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and heat over low heat.

Spread the mixture onto the top of the cake after it has been baking for about 30 minutes.

Put it bake into the oven for about 10 minutes to crystallise the sugar and butter mixture on top of the cake.

How To Enjoy

With Ice Cream – try eating this with vanilla or caramel ice cream.

With Heavy Cream – this cake is delicious with a bit of heavy cream poured overtop.

FAQ

Can I Make This With Mature Sourdough Starter?

Yes – you have two options.

1. You can simply substitute mature sourdough starter for the sourdough discard and follow the recipe as is.

2. Or for a long-fermented version, combine the flour, sourdough starter, honey, and coconut oil in a bowl. Let the mixture sit on your counter for 12-24 hours. The next day, cook the apples and add the other ingredients to the batter.

What Is The Difference Between Sourdough Starter And Discard?

Sourdough starter and sourdough discard use the same ingredients – flour and water. The difference is that a mature sourdough starter has more wild yeast than a new sourdough starter. Sourdough discard is generated as you build up a mature starter. Especially on days 0-3 a new starter has less wild yeast than a mature starter does, which means that it will have less power to rise baking applications like bread.

How Long Will Sourdough Discard Apple Cake Last?

This cake lasts about 3 days on the countertop and 6 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can You Freeze Sourdough Discard Apple Cake?

Yes. It will last for a few months in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. You can pre-slice the cake, and add parchment paper between each slice. This makes it easier to thaw.

Try These Other Simple Sweet Treat Ideas

Cozy Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Simple Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins

Dark Chocolate Chip Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Healthy No-Churn Fig And Walnut Ice Cream (Sugar Free)

Simple & Tasty Sourdough Discard Banana Bread Recipe

Lemon Rosemary Cake With Olive Oil

Simple Sourdough Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Fluffy and Simple Sourdough Chocolate Bread

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please consider giving it 5 stars. Find me on Instagram @documentingsimpleliving and show me what you’ve made!