Sourdough Discard Vanilla Cake (Vegan, Egg-Free)
This is the only sourdough vanilla cake recipe that you will ever need! It is soft, perfectly sweet, tender, moist and made using only a few simple ingredients. Makes for an amazing birthday cake recipe (double the recipe and layer with frosting), but easy and quick enough for a delicious everyday white cake for your family. Plus, you can mix + bake right away OR ferment overnight for extra flavor and texture benefits. Fully vegan, egg-free and dairy-free!
Servings: 16 squares
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Large whisk (+ spatula)
- Small kitchen scale (or measuring cups/spoons)
- 9 x 9-inch square pan (brownie pan) (+ parchment paper)
Ingredients
- 150 g sourdough discard (150g = about a packed ¾ cup)
- 130 g oil (130g = about ⅔ cups), I used canola oil
- 220 g cane/white sugar or light brown sugar (220g = about 1 cup)
- 245 g milk (245g = about 1 cup), I used full-fat oat milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 280 g all-purpose flour (280g = about 2 cups)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9 x 9-inch square dish with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sourdough discard, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined and uniform without any lumps visible.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and keep mixing until just combined (without overmixing).
- Pour in the prepared dish and bake for 40 minutes (check for doneness with a toothpick). Wait for the cake to be completely cooled down before frosting or decorating.
Notes
- Make sure to cover your baking dish with parchment paper to be able to unmold the whole cake all at once. This is especially important if you want to make a layered cake!
- I highly recommend using a small kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. If you don't have one, I shared the estimated amount for cups/spoons measurements in the recipe card.
- Like in any cake recipe, do not overmix the batter so the texture does not end up dense and chewy!
- Make sure the baking powder and baking soda are fresh (check the expiration dates) so the cake rises properly!
- If frosting the cake, then make sure to wait for it to completely cool down before spreading the frosting so it does not melt.
- Long fermented cake: once you pour the cake batter into the baking dish, you can ferment the batter overnight in the fridge (cover well) for even better taste and texture (and digestibility). In the morning, take the pan out and let it come to room temperature or almost before baking.
- Optional vanilla frosting: Mix together 440g powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of room temperature vegan butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3-4 tablespoons of dairy-free milk (or enough for desired consistency).
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.