Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake Loaf

If you're looking for a delicious way to use up your sourdough discard, this sourdough discard coffee cake is perfect for you.

This cake is made for cozy mornings with a hot cup of coffee, but it's just as at home on a holiday brunch table or a springtime picnic. If you love it, you'll also love my sourdough banana bread and sourdough banana muffins — and if you want to stay in the sourdough-cinnamon lane, try my sourdough discard cinnamon rolls or sourdough snickerdoodles.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

A tender, moist crumb. Sour cream and butter keep this cake rich and soft for days — never dry.

Streusel in every bite. Two layers of spiced, buttery streusel run through the middle and over the top, not just sprinkled on as an afterthought.

A genuinely good use for discard. Like my fudgy sourdough discard brownies, this turns the starter you'd toss into something worth sharing.

Cozy, warm spice. Cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg give it that bakery-case aroma — perfect alongside my chewy sourdough gingerbread cookies or sourdough pumpkin bread on a holiday spread. If you love cozy breakfasts, then make sure my biscoff overnight oats are on your radar.

Simple, no fuss. No special techniques — just mix, layer, and bake. It comes together about as easily as my sourdough breakfast cookies.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• Unsalted butter — room temperature, creamed until light and fluffy for a tender crumb.
• Granulated sugar — sweetness and structure.
• Eggs — room temperature, added one at a time.
• Sourdough discard — adds moisture and a subtle tang; uses up your starter.
• Sour cream — the secret to a rich, moist crumb.
• Vanilla extract — for warmth and depth.
• All-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt — the base structure and lift.

For the cinnamon streusel:

• All-purpose flour and brown sugar — the crumbly, sweet foundation.
• Cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg — that cozy, layered spice.
• Melted unsalted butter — binds the streusel into craggy clumps (cool it so it isn't hot).
• A pinch of salt — balances the sweetness.
• For the vanilla glaze:
• Powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla — a simple drizzle to finish.

See recipe card for quantities.

Easy Substitutions & Variations

Dairy-free butter: Use a non-dairy stick butter (like Country Crock's plant butter) in both the cake and streusel.

Dairy-free milk: A full-fat oat milk works well in the glaze.

Extra crunch: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel.

Chocolate: Fold 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter for a richer cake — a nice nod to my sourdough chocolate chip muffins.

Long-ferment option: Make the batter omitting the eggs, baking powder, and salt, and let it rest in the fridge overnight. Add those ingredients the next day just before baking.

More brunch bakes: If you're building a spread, pair it with sourdough discard blueberry muffins or a sourdough lemon snack cake.

Instructions

Step 1: Make the streusel. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment (or grease it well). Stir the melted, cooled butter into the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt until clumpy. Set aside.

Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Step 3: Add the wet, then the dry. Add the eggs one at a time on medium-low until combined. Scrape the bowl again and beat in the sourdough discard, sour cream, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the wet ingredients a little at a time on low — mix until just combined.

Step 4: Layer the batter and streusel. Spread half the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan, then cover completely with half the streusel.

Step 5: Layer: Layer the remaining batter on top, then finish with the rest of the streusel — two batter layers and two streusel layers total.

Step 6: Bake and Serve. Bake on the middle rack at 350°F for 55–60 minutes, until the top is lightly firm and set and the cake no longer jiggles when you wiggle the pan.

While the cake cools, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk into a glaze. Let the cake cool completely, then drizzle with the glaze and let it set before serving.

Expert Tips

1. Weigh your ingredients. This is the single best thing you can do for consistent results — a scale is affordable and takes the guesswork out of baking.

2. Don't overmix the batter. Once the flour goes in, mix just until combined. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake dense.

3. Cool the streusel butter. Melted butter should be cooled before mixing so the streusel clumps rather than turning greasy.

4. Check for doneness by feel. The top should be lightly firm and the cake shouldn't jiggle. A loaf this deep can fool you, so give it the full time.

5. Let the glaze set. Glazing a fully cooled cake (and letting the glaze firm up) makes for clean slices and a prettier finish.

What Makes This Recipe Special?

Most coffee cakes stop at a single streusel topping. This one layers the spiced, buttery crumble right through the center and over the top, so every slice has that craggy, cinnamon-rich texture from top to bottom. The sour cream and creamed butter keep the crumb genuinely moist for days, while the sourdough discard does double duty — adding tenderness and a faint tang that keeps the sweetness in balance.

It's also endlessly adaptable: dress it up with nuts or chocolate, ferment it overnight for deeper flavor, or keep it classic. That flexibility, plus the fact that it uses up your discard, is the same reason bakes like my sourdough discard peanut butter cookies earn a permanent spot in the rotation.

Sourdough Coffee Cake FAQs

Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake Troubleshooting Guide

Storage

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 3–5 days.

Refrigerator: Also keeps refrigerated for 3–5 days in an airtight container.

Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. The streusel softens after thawing but is still delicious — refresh briefly in a low oven if you like.

Other Sourdough Discard Recipes to Consider

Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake

Audrey Grubb

This delicious sourdough discard coffee cake features a tender crumb, warm cinnamon flavors, and a buttery streusel topping. Perfect for breakfast or brunch, it’s a cozy, crowd-pleasing treat that makes the most of your starter.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 slices

Calories 571 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen scale with a paddle attachment (please weigh your ingredients for best results)
• ▢
  Stand Mixer (or large bowl with a hand mixer)
• ▢
  Loaf Pan
• ▢
  Parchment Paper
• ▢
  medium bowl for mixing dry ingredients
• ▢
  Small bowl for mixing the streusel

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the cake:

• ▢ 169 g unsalted butter room temperature (¾ cup)
• ▢ 250 g granulated sugar 1¼ cups
• ▢ 3 eggs room temperature
• ▢ 150 g sourdough discard ½ cup
• ▢ 85 g sour cream ⅓ cup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt omit if using salted butter
• ▢ 150 g all-purpose flour 1¼ cups

For the cinnamon streusel:

• ▢ 120 g all-purpose flour 1 cup
• ▢ 220 g brown sugar 1 cup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 113 g unsalted butter melted and cooled (8 Tbsp)
• ▢ Pinch of salt

For the vanilla glaze:

• ▢ 120 g powdered sugar 1 cup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoon milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment or grease it well.
• Make the streusel: Stir the melted, cooled butter into the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt until clumpy. Set aside.
  120 g all-purpose flour, 220 g brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, ½ tsp cardamom, 113 g unsalted butter, ½ tsp nutmeg
• In a stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.
  169 g unsalted butter, 250 g granulated sugar
• Add the eggs one at a time on medium-low until combined.
  3 eggs
• Scrape the bowl and beat in the sourdough discard, sour cream, and vanilla.
  150 g sourdough discard, 85 g sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  1 tsp baking powder, 150 g all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt
• On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time, mixing just until combined.
• Spread half the batter evenly in the loaf pan and cover completely with half the streusel. Layer the remaining batter on top, then finish with the remaining streusel (two batter layers, two streusel layers).
• Bake on the middle rack for 55–60 minutes, until the top is lightly firm and the cake no longer jiggles.
• While the cake cools, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk into a glaze.
  Pinch of salt, 120 g powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp milk
• Cool completely, then drizzle with the glaze and let it set before serving.

Notes

Weigh your ingredients for the most accurate, reliable results.
Don't overmix the batter — overmixing makes the cake dense.
Store in an airtight container, refrigerated or at room temperature, for 3–5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months; the streusel softens after thawing but is still delicious.

Nutrition

Calories: 571kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 5gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gSugar: 59gVitamin A: 832IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 2mg

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