Sourdough Discard Apple Cake

A slice of sourdough apple cake on a dessert plate with a fork.

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Sourdough Discard Apple Cake

This custardy French-style apple cake is packed with thinly sliced apples and enriched with brown butter and sourdough discard. The batter bakes up tender and moist, with more fruit than cake, and a subtle tang from the discard.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 30

Course: Cake and Cupcakes, Dessert, sourdough

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sourdough apple cake

Servings: servings

Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

10 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
½ cup sourdough discard about 120 grams
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour 90 grams
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. grease a 9-inch round pan (or an 8 inch square pan) and line the bottom with parchment paper. This cake tends to stick, so don’t skip the parchment.
Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt, then continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter foams and the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl (scrape in the browned bits too) and let it cool while you mix the batter.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolk until frothy. Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened.
Beat in the discard until smooth, then mix in the vanilla extract. Pour in the cooled browned butter and beat until the batter is smooth and glossy.
Place a metal sifter over the bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain.
Add the sliced apples and fold until they’re completely coated in batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen it, then invert the pan onto a plate and peel off the parchment. Flip the cake again so it’s right-side up.
For neat slices, let the cake cool completely. It cuts more cleanly once the crumb sets, and the flavor actually improves after a few hours.

Notes

Use a mix of apples: A blend of sweet and tart apples gives this cake the best flavor and texture. Try combining something sweet and crisp (like Honeycrisp or Fuji) with something tart (like Granny Smith). Avoid apples that turn to mush when baked, like Red Delicious.

Don’t skip the parchment: This cake likes to stick, even in a well-greased pan. Lining the bottom with parchment guarantees it’ll release cleanly once it cools.

Pan size options: A 9-inch round pan or an 8-inch square pan both work well for this recipe. If you use an 8-inch round pan, the batter will come close to the top of a standard 2-inch pan, so place it on a baking sheet in case it rises a little higher than expected. It will also need about 5 extra minutes of bake time.

Use a metal pan: A light-colored metal pan works best for this recipe. It heats evenly and helps the cake bake through without overbrowning. Glass or dark metal pans can cause the edges to brown faster

Cool before removing: The crumb is delicate when warm, so give it at least 15 minutes to set before removing it from the pan. Run a knife around the edge first to loosen any sticky apple bits.

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