Sourdough Lemon Cake
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This sourdough lemon cake is made with sourdough discard and is incredibly moist thanks to the Greek yogurt, butter, and milk added to the batter. This cake is baked in a bundt pan, packed with fresh lemon juice and zest, and topped with a simple lemon glaze. It’s a simple cake recipe that is perfect for spring and summer gatherings!
My favorite thing about bundt cakes is that they look super fancy with minimal effort. This lemon sourdough cake is fluffy, moist, and has so much delicious lemon flavor! Spring and summer gatherings are the perfect time to make this cake.
Looking for other spring or summer desserts? Check these out:
- sourdough strawberry shortcake
- sourdough s’mores cookies
- raspberry swiss roll
- lemon curd cheesecake
- sourdough millionaire’s shortbread bars
Ingredients & Substitutions for the Sourdough Lemon Cake
- sourdough discard – Use up that extra sourdough discard in the fridge. You may also use active sourdough starter, but it will not suffice as the leavener (what makes the cake rise). The baking powder and baking soda do the work on that. If you wish to long ferment, make the cake batter and let it rest in the fridge covered overnight before baking the next day.
- Greek yogurt– This recipe calls for full-fat, plain Greek yogurt. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use full-fat sour cream instead.
- milk, eggs, butter, sourdough discard, and Greek yogurt – For the fluffiest, moistest cake, make sure these ingredients are room temperature–not cold!
- salted butter – I always use salted butter in my baking and cooking. If you only have unsalted butter, add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the batter.
Equipment Needed
- cake stand
- electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- rubber spatula
- measuring cups and measuring spoons
- mixing bowls
- Bundt cake pan
- citrus zester
- citrus juicer
Step-By-Step Instructions
Prep and Preheat
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a Bundt pan, or spray it well with baking spray that includes flour to make sure your cake releases cleanly after baking.
Boost the Lemon Flavor
In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until it smells bright and citrusy.
This step brings out the natural oils from the zest and gives your cake an extra lemony lift. Set aside while you mix the dry ingredients to give it time to enhance the lemon flavor.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside for now.
Cream the Butter and Lemon Sugar
Add the softened butter to your lemon sugar and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy—this takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the Eggs
Next, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go so everything stays smooth and well incorporated.
Add the Yogurt, Sourdough Discard, and Vanilla
Mix in the Greek yogurt, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until the batter is creamy and fully blended.
Combine Dry Ingredients and Milk
With the mixer on low speed, begin adding the dry ingredients and milk in two rounds. First, mix in half of the dry ingredients, then half of the milk. Repeat with the remaining dry mixture and milk. Mix just until everything is combined—don’t overdo it!
Finish with Lemon Juice
Stir in the lemon juice by hand.
Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top.
Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean.
Whisk Up the Lemon Glaze
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools, make your glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, melted butter, and a pinch of salt until smooth. You can adjust the consistency with a little more lemon juice or powdered sugar, depending on your drizzle style.
Glaze and Serve
Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle the glaze generously over the top. Top with sliced lemons and lemon zest if you wish.
Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Top Tips for this Sourdough Lemon Cake
- Room temperature ingredients are your friend. I say this a lot, but it’s because it’s so important! If you want a moist and fluffy cake, you must have room temperature milk, eggs, yogurt, sourdough discard, and butter. Cold ingredients result in a lumpy, dense cake.
- You don’t have to make this a Bundt cake! You can divide this cake into two 9-inch round pans and bake for about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, if you’d rather have a round layered cake. Double the lemon cream cheese frosting that I use for these lemon cupcakes to frost the cake with!
- Don’t overmix! I use an electric mixer when I’m creaming the butter, sugar, and wet ingredients. But once I combine the wet and dry ingredients, I prefer mixing with a rubber spatula to avoid overmixing the cake batter.
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Lemon Sourdough Cake
Equipment
- 10-inch Bundt pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup salted butter softened or slightly melted
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard room temperature
- 3/4 cup whole milk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
For the lemon glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Prep and Preheat
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease and flour a Bundt pan or use baking spray with flour.
Whisk Dry Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Infuse Sugar with Lemon Zest
- In a large mixing bowl, use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until it smells bright and fragrant. This step helps release the oils in the zest and amps up the lemon flavor.
Cream Butter and Lemon Sugar
- Add the softened butter to the lemon sugar and use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Add Eggs
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add Yogurt, Discard, and Vanilla
- Mix in the Greek yogurt, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.
Alternate Dry Ingredients and Milk
- Reduce mixer speed to low.
- Add half of the dry ingredients, then half of the milk, and mix until just combined.
- Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and remaining milk, mixing gently. Do not overmix.
Add Lemon Juice
- Stir in the lemon juice by hand until evenly incorporated.
Bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, melted butter, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Adjust the consistency with more lemon juice or powdered sugar as needed.
Glaze and Serve
- Once the cake is completely cool, drizzle with the glaze.
- Slice and enjoy!
This sourdough discard lemon cake is so simple to make and is packed with so much lemon flavor! Let me know what you think if you make it!