Sourdough Discard Lemon Snack Cake
This Sourdough Discard Lemon Snack Cake is soft, buttery, and full of bright lemon flavor. Finished with a creamy lemon buttercream, it’s an easy 8x8 cake perfect for spring or everyday baking.
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
- Parchment Paper
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Hand or stand mixer
- microplane zester
- Offset spatula
Ingredients
Sourdough Discard Lemon Cake
- 180 g all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups
- 150 g granulated sugar ¾ cup
- 6 g baking powder 1 ½ tsp
- 1 g baking soda ¼ tsp
- 3 g fine sea salt ½ tsp
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 85 g unsalted butter melted (6 tbsp)
- 30 g neutral oil 2 tbsp
- 100 g large eggs 2 eggs
- 120 g sourdough discard ½ cup
- 120 g sour cream or Greek yogurt ½ cup
- 30 g fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp
- 5 g vanilla extract 1 tsp
Lemon Buttercream
- 113 g unsalted butter softened (½ cup)
- 240 g powdered sugar 2 cups
- 15–30 g fresh lemon juice 1–2 tbsp
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 g vanilla extract ½ tsp
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prep the pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make lemon sugar: Rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until fragrant.
- Add wet ingredients: Whisk in the melted butter, oil, eggs, sourdough discard, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine: Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Bake: Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make buttercream: Beat butter until smooth, add powdered sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt, and beat until fluffy.
- Frost: Spread buttercream over the cooled cake and slice.
Notes
Storage
This releases the natural oils and gives the cake a much stronger, more vibrant lemon flavor without adding extra liquid.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because of the buttercream, it’s best to refrigerate it if keeping longer than that.
- In the refrigerator, the cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20–30 minutes before serving so the buttercream softens.
- To freeze, wrap individual slices tightly and store for up to 2 months.
This releases the natural oils and gives the cake a much stronger, more vibrant lemon flavor without adding extra liquid.
Nutrition
Calories: 495kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 5gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 246mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 1gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 550IUCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg
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