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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.
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.
Curious how I adapted this recipe for sourdough discard? Jump to the recipe testing notes to learn more about the process and what worked best.
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.
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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Sourdough Pound Cake
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Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons butter, at room temp, 227 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar, 200 grams
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 210 grams
- 1½ 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.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape the bowl, then beat well until it’s fluffy and pale.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another small bowl, stir together the milk, sourdough discard, vanilla, and almond extract.
- 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.
- Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top.
- 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe Testing Notes
This sourdough pound cake is adapted from King Arthur’s recipe. 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.
