Sourdough Discard Pound Cake (From Scratch)

If you’ve got leftover sourdough discard and you’re in the mood for something sweet and delicious, this recipe is for you! In this post I’m going to tell you how I made a terrific Sourdough Discard Pound cake. . .from scratch. 

Pound Cake? From Discard? 

I know, I know. Seems rather contradictory, to take a tart discard and add it to one of the world’s sweetest cakes. But trust me when I say this combination absolutely works! 

I’ve been diligently working on sourdough recipes for nearly three months now. So far I’m up to almost forty recipes—everything from homemade sourdough bread, to one-day hybrid sourdough, to discard cookies, muffins, and even brownies! 

Today, however? I was in the mood for cake. Pound cake, to be specific. From scratch. 

So, I decided to merge some of my favorite ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, flour, etc.) with (you guessed it!) sourdough discard. That way I could add this post to my ongoing post, 40 Favorite Sourdough Recipes.

A couple days back I filled my discard jar after feeding my starter to make a new loaf of bacon, cheddar, ranch sourdough. I needed to use up that discard and this idea just struck me like a bolt of lightning. 

I’ll tell you more about the outcome below, but for now let’s go ahead and look at what you’ll need to make this delicious cake! 

Sourdough Discard Pound Cake Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a quick peek at what you'll need to make this delicious cake. These are simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry and fridge.

• 1 cup room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
• 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sourdough discard
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt (skip if you use salted butter)
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

How to Make Sourdough Discard Pound Cake

This comes together so easily, friends! 

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Whisk together your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda) and set aside. 

Prep a bundt pan with Baker’s Joy (or grease and flour)

Place the room temperature butter and sugar in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. 

Beat for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

Now add the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract. Mix well. 

Stir in the discard and mix until incorporated and smooth. 

Alternate the dry ingredients with the whipping cream. 

Mix only until no streaks remain. Be careful no to over mix. 

Scoop (it’s thick!) into the prepared bundt pan. 

Place in preheated oven and bake for one hour (more or less) or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Start checking at the 50-minute mark.) 

Place pan on wire rack to cool. 

After about 15-20 minutes (when the pan is cool enough to touch) gently flip the cake out directly onto the rack. (This is when I discovered that my aging bundt pan was ready to bite the dust. In spite of properly greasing and flouring, the cake stuck.)

Once the cake has completely cooled you can dust it with powdered sugar or add a glaze. 

Slice and enjoy! 

Store leftovers at room temperature unless your home is too humid. The refrigerator will dry this cake out. 

Note: This cake is delicious plain, but also pairs beautifully with berries and whipped cream.

What to Expect from this Cake

This was a dense, luscious batter, so I had a feeling it would produce a lovely cake. I was right! Looking at it, fresh from the oven, I just knew it would be delicious. It smelled absolutely divine and the coloring was so pretty!

The only problem I ran into was my old bundt pan cause the cake to stick, so I lost a little bit of the edges. But I managed to cover that up with powdered sugar, which just added more flavor. The crusty edges, the soft interior, the sweetness with the finest bit of tang. . .it was all rather lovely. I'm so very glad I gave this recipe a try!

One thing worth noting: The discard gave this cake extra "lift." Even though it wasn't an active starter, it still caused the cake to be more aerated than a typical pound cake. I didn't mind at all! I found the whole thing fascinating!

Variations on this Recipe

As with any pound cake, you can use add-ins. Some of my favorites include: 

• Berries: Specifically, blackberries or raspberries. Delicious! 
• Sour cream: Out of whipping cream? Sour cream will do! 
• Yogurt: If you love a tart cake, this will up that tartness even more!
  Cocoa Powder: Turn any pound cake into a chocolate cake with the addition of a quarter cup of dutch processed cocoa powder. 
• Spices: Add pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or a collection of your favorite fall spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clover, nutmeg, etc.) to turn this pound cake into a fall favorite! 

Other Pound Cakes from Out of the Box Baking

If you love pound cake, I’ve got you covered. Here are my favorites: 

• Old-Fashioned Pound Cake with Whipping Cream: My personal favorite
• Doctored Cake Mix Pound Cake: simple and delicious
• German Chocolate Pound Cake: The frosting in the mix!
• Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake: This one is lip-smacking good!
• Lemon Pound Cake: Tart and delicious!
• Hawaiian Pound Cake: Loaded with island flavors and textures! 

I know. That’s a lot of pound cake! Pounds and pounds of pound cake! But I’ve discovered that most everyone loves a great pound cake. (I plan to gift this one to our children’s workers at church.) 

That’s it for this post, friends!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.