Sourdough Chocolate Cake (with Sourdough Discard)

Slice of sourdough cholcate cake showing its soft interior.

4.94 from 143 votes

Sourdough Chocolate Cake (with Sourdough Discard)

Sourdough Chocolate Cake has the most amazing texture and is the best way for all chocolate lovers to use sourdough starter discard. Rich and decadent, this chocolate cake is so good it should be forbidden!

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Sourdough Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Tatiana Kamakura

Equipment

Bundt cake pan

Ingredients

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup dutch cocoa powder
1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sourdough discard
½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
3 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cup coffee freshly brewed and hot

Brigadeiro Topping

2 tablespoon butter
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 tablespoon dutch cocoa powder
½ cup heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and dutch coca powder. Stir until well combined using a whisk or wooden spoon.
In a small bowl, combine eggs, oil, vanilla extract and sourdough starter. Whisk them together until well combined. Don’t forget to use room temperature ingredients.
Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir until the batter is formed. It will be a thick batter before adding hot coffee.
Pour hot coffee over the chocolate cake batter. Stir until it’s fully combined into the batter. You should have a thin, liquid cake batter by the end.
Grease the pan you’ll be using with cooking spray or oil. Coat it with granulated sugar. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake the cake in the middle shelf, from 45 to 50 minutes. Cake is done when it pulls away from the edges, bounces back when pressed, and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbles clinging into it.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then place a cooling rack over the top of the cake and turn it over. Give a little nudge if cake has not fallen into the cooling rack when turning.
Wait for the cake to cool before topping it.
For the brigadeiro topping, in a medium saucepan, add sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter. Using a large burner on medium-high heat and stirring constantly so it won’t burn, cook the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it starts to thicken.
Lower the heat and add the heavy creamy, stirring constantly. Cook for another 3 minutes, or until the topping is no longer runny.
Pour over the cake while hot. This brigadeiro topping tickers as it cools.

Video

Notes

If using a sheet cake pan, it takes from 25 to 30 minutes to bake.

If using 3 small round pans, it takes from 20 to 25 minutes to bake.

The pan you’re using, its material, how hot the oven is, and even using cold ingredients can influence baking time. When making a sourdough chocolate bundt cake, I check it after 40 minutes, and then every 5 minutes.

Cake is done when:

It pulls away from the edges,
Springs back when pressed lightly,
A toothpick comes out clean, or with only a few crumbs sticking to it.

Pro Tips

Don’t overmix the batter! Mix just until every ingredient is incorporated.

Add coffee last. To avoid lumps, add it slowly: pour a quarter of a cup, mix until incorporated, then add half a cup, mix again, and then pour the rest. It makes it easier to get a smoother, lump-free batter.

Some small lumps AFTER adding the coffee are totally okay, though.

Use room temperature ingredients! Eggs and sourdough discard should rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes to reach room temperature.

Nutrition