Sourdough Vanilla Dot Cakes
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These viral dot cakes are soft, fluffy sourdough discard vanilla cakes layered with creamy vanilla cream cheese frosting and coated in colorful nonpareil sprinkles. They’re adorable for birthdays, baby showers, holidays, or just because — and they’re surprisingly simple to make at home using jars and a biscuit cutter.
This recipe makes enough cake for 6-12 dot cake jars using a 9×13-inch cake pan.
I’m not one for getting on trendy bandwagons, but when I saw this one popping up all over my social media, I just knew I had to make my own sourdough version of it!
Dot cakes are all the rage right now, so hop on this train with me and let’s wow our friends and family with our very own from-scratch sourdough vanilla dot cake!! I used my sourdough vanilla cake recipe to make these dot cakes–super simple, nothing too difficult.
Looking for more sourdough cake recipes? Check these out!
- sourdough tres leches cake
- sourdough strawberry coffee cake
- sourdough vanilla cake with chocolate frosting
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make as mini single-layer cakes or tall layered jar cakes
- Soft and fluffy sourdough vanilla cake with a tender crumb
- Perfect use for sourdough discard
- Fun, trendy, and customizable for any occasion
Step-By-Step Instructions
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Whisk in the sourdough discard until fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and smooth the top.
Bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean between 30-38 minutes. Cool completely.
Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until fluffy.
Use a biscuit cutter to cut circles from the cooled cake.
Layer cake and frosting inside the jelly jars until full.
Frost the top evenly, then dip into nonpareil sprinkles.
Helpful Tips for the Best Sourdough Vanilla Dot Cakes
Use room temperature ingredients
Room temperature milk, egg whites, sourdough discard, butter, and cream cheese help create a smoother batter and fluffier cake texture.
Pipe the frosting for cleaner layers
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off to make neat, even frosting layers inside the jars.
Freeze the cake scraps for future desserts
Save leftover cake scraps to make cake pops, trifles, parfaits, or even mini ice cream toppings.
Dip the jars straight down into the sprinkles
After frosting the top flush with the rim of the jar, firmly dip it straight into the nonpareils for the cleanest and most even viral dot cake finish.
Equipment Needed
- 9×13-inch ceramic or metal baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Kitchen scale (optional, for metric measurements)
- Cooling rack
- Biscuit cutters in sizes that fit your jars
- Offset spatula or spoon for frosting
- Piping bag or zip-top bag (optional, for cleaner frosting layers)
- 4-ounce jelly jars or 13-ounce jelly jars
- Small bowl for nonpareil sprinkles
Storage
Store assembled dot cakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For the best texture and flavor, allow the jars to sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving.
Sourdough Vanilla Dot Cake
Ingredients
For the Sourdough Vanilla Cake
- 2 cups cake flour 240 g, or substitute with 2 cups all-purpose flour minus 4 tablespoons, replaced with 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons baking powder 24 g
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 1.5 g
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 300 g
- 8 tablespoons salted butter melted (113 g)
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 g
- 3/4 cup whole milk room temperature (180 g)
- 1 cup sourdough discard room temperature (240 g)
For the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened (226 g)
- 1 cup salted butter softened (226 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 g
- 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 g
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted (480 g)
For Decorating
- 1-2 cups nonpareil sprinkles 170–340 g
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- If using the cake flour substitute: measure 2 cups all-purpose flour, remove 4 tablespoons of flour, then replace it with 4 tablespoons cornstarch. Sift well before using.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar until smooth and combined.
- Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture becomes lighter and slightly frothy.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir gently to combine. Pour in half of the milk and mix again. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and milk, stirring until just combined.
- Fold in the sourdough discard until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9×13-inch cake pan and smooth the top evenly.
- Bake for 30–38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool before assembling the cakes.
Make the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt.
- Gradually mix in the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until fully combined.
- Beat on medium-high speed for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Assemble the Dot Cakes
- There are a couple different ways to make these trendy dot cakes depending on the jars you’re using.
Option 1: Mini Single-Layer Dot Cakes (Using 4 oz Jelly Jars)
- For small 4-ounce jelly jars, use the jar opening as a guide or use a biscuit cutter that fits the size of the jar.
- Cut rounds from the cooled cake and place one cake round into each jar.
- Add a layer of frosting on top and smooth it flat.
- Frost the top so it is level with the rim of the jar.
- Flip the frosted side directly into a bowl of nonpareil sprinkles to coat the top completely.
Option 2: Layered Dot Cakes (Using 13 oz Jelly Jars)
- For larger 13-ounce jelly jars, use a biscuit cutter that fits inside the jar opening.
- Cut circles from the cake. If needed, carefully slice the cake rounds horizontally to create thinner layers.
- Place one cake layer into the bottom of the jar.
- Pipe or spread a layer of frosting over the cake.
- Repeat with additional cake layers and frosting until the jar is filled nearly to the top.
- Spread frosting evenly across the very top so it is flush with the rim of the jar.
- Turn the jar upside down and dip the frosted top into a bowl filled with nonpareil sprinkles until fully coated.
- Flip upright and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Storage Instructions
- Store assembled dot cakes covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- For the best texture and flavor, allow the jars to sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving.
