Description
The moistest chocolate cake made with sourdough discard! Uses up sourdough starter for zero waste. Rich, tender, and absolutely delicious. The best sourdough discard recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process preferred)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sourdough discard (unfed, straight from fridge)
- 1 cup hot coffee (or hot water)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans really well and line bottoms with parchment paper. Dust with cocoa powder instead of flour to keep outside dark!
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk really well to break up any cocoa lumps.
3. In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together sourdough discard, hot coffee, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. If discard is super thick, stir it first to loosen up.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until JUST combined. Batter will be THIN – like really thin! Don’t panic! It’s almost pourable like thick hot chocolate. This thin batter makes incredibly moist cake!
5. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans (about 24 oz per pan). Give them gentle tap on counter to release air bubbles.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes (25-30 for 9×13 pan) until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Don’t overbake!
7. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Must be completely cool before frosting!
8. Once cool, frost with your favorite frosting – chocolate buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or chocolate ganache!
Notes
Batter will be THIN – don’t add more flour! Thin batter creates moist cake.
HOT coffee is crucial for blooming cocoa – needs to be hot for deep chocolate flavor.
Sourdough discard can be any age – fresh, old, fed, unfed – doesn’t matter!
Add teaspoon of espresso powder to dry ingredients for extra chocolate intensity.
Make sure eggs and buttermilk are room temperature for better mixing.
Line pans with parchment for easy removal – saves stuck cake disasters!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American