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Sourdough pound cake is rich, buttery, and just a little more interesting than the usual. The discard gives it a softer crumb and deeper flavor. It’s classic pound cake, but with a more tender texture and longer shelf life.

If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make our cream cheese pound cake.

A pound cake sliced and sitting on a white plate.
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Here’s Why This Sourdough Pound Cake Recipe Works

That discard does more than you think: The sourdough discard boosts moisture and gives a subtle tang without making the cake taste sour.

Soft, plush crumb: A slight reduction in flour and milk keeps the balance right, leading to a more tender texture.

Classic technique, zero guesswork: Creaming the butter and sugar, alternating wet and dry. Every step is here for structure and richness.

Big flavor, tiny tweak: A dash of almond extract and the option to swap in lemon zest give you room to play.

A sourdough pound cake on a cooling rack next to strawberries.

Looking for another way to use sourdough discard? Our sourdough chocolate cake is a bold, flavorful option that’s just as simple to pull together.

Recipe Tips

Room temp ingredients: Let the butter, eggs, and milk sit out before baking. Cold ingredients don’t mix well and will mess with your batter’s texture.

Measure by weight: If you’ve got a scale, use it. Precise weights keep the cake balanced, especially when adjusting for sourdough discard.

Don’t underbeat the butter and sugar: Beat until it’s pale and fluffy. That’s your air power, helping lift the heavy batter.

Scrape the bowl often: Get every bit of butter, sugar, and flour evenly incorporated. Lumps = uneven texture.

Use foil: If the top starts browning too quickly, tent it with foil in the last 20 minutes to prevent a scorched crust.

Add a topping: For a bright contrast to the buttery crumb, top slices with our homemade strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

A sourdough discard pound cake in a loaf pan.

Sourdough Discard Pound Cake

This sourdough pound cake bakes up rich and buttery with a softer, more delicate crumb. The discard adds subtle depth, giving the loaf a flavor that’s more rounded and less one-note. It’s simple, sturdy, and worth making on repeat.

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A partially sliced pound cake made with sourdough discard.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
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Sourdough Pound Cake

A buttery, tender pound cake made with sourdough discard for extra depth and moisture. This loaf cake uses simple ingredients and a classic mixing method for reliable results and a softer crumb.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 10 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 16 tablespoons butter, at room temp, 227 grams
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 grams
  • 4 large eggs, room temp
  • cups all-purpose flour, 210 grams
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup milk, room temp, 56 grams
  • ½ cup sourdough discard, 100% hydration, 120 grams
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Optionally, line it with parchment for easier removal.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter until it is light in color and creamy. Gradually add the sugar while beating.
    Creaming butter and sugar in a bowl.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape the bowl, then beat well until it’s fluffy and pale.
    Adding eggs to creamed butter and sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
    Mixing flour and other dry ingredient in a bowl.
  • In another small bowl, stir together the milk, sourdough discard, vanilla, and almond extract.
    Sourdough discard in a bowl.
  • Add one-third of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until well combined. Add half of the milk mixture and stir to combine. Repeat with the next third of the flour, then the remaining milk, and finish with the last of the flour, mixing well after each addition until fully incorporated. The batter will be thick.
    Adding flour and sourdough discard to cake batter alternating each one.
  • Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top.
    Spreading sourdough pound cake batter in a loaf pan.
  • Bake for 60–70 minutes, until the top springs back when you tap it and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. If it starts browning too fast on top, loosely cover it with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Rest for best flavor: Wrap the cooled cake and let it sit for 1–2 days before slicing. This deepens the flavor and softens the crumb.
Short-term storage: Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze for later: Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw at room temp before serving.
Flavor variations: Try lemon zest, almond extract, or a vanilla glaze for a twist.
Use 100% hydration discard: This recipe is calibrated for sourdough discard made with equal parts flour and water by weight.
Watch your discard age: The older your discard, the more acidic it becomes, which can affect both texture and flavor. Use discard less than a week old for best results.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 362kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 410mg, Potassium: 65mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 665IU, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Ingredients used to make a sourdough pound cake with discard.

Recipe Testing Notes

This sourdough pound cake is adapted from King Arthur’s recipe which uses milk for moisture and richness. To work sourdough discard into the mix, I needed to rebalance the liquids and flour without losing that dense, buttery structure.

I added ½ cup (120 grams) of 100% hydration sourdough discard. That’s roughly 60 grams of flour and 60 grams of water. To compensate, I reduced the milk by ¼ cup (56 grams) and the flour by ¼ cup (30 grams).

I found that cutting the full 60 grams of flour made the cake too soft, likely because the flour in discard is partially fermented and doesn’t provide the same structure as fresh flour.

The result is a pound cake loaf with a slightly more tender crumb and a deeper, more nuanced flavor. Still classic pound cake, but with a little extra dimension.

About Dahn Boquist

Dahn Boquist is a retired nurse turned recipe developer, home cook, and baker with years of hands-on experience creating and testing from-scratch recipes. She specializes in whole-food cooking with creative twists on classic dishes. When she’s not in the kitchen, she enjoys sharing meals with family, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and spending time with her grandchildren.

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