Sourdough Coffee Cake

4.50 from 18 votes

This Sourdough Coffee Cake made in a bundt pan is a delicious sour cream breakfast cake with a thick ribbon of cinnamon sugar and walnuts swirled in the middle.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Bundt Cake Pan

Ingredients

Coffee Cake

200 grams sugar 1 cup
165 grams brown sugar ¾ cup
180 grams oil ¾ cup
3 eggs 150 grams
240 grams sour cream 1 cup
180 grams sourdough discard ¾ cup
350 grams flour 2 ½ cup
14 grams vanilla extract 1 Tablespoon
7 grams baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons
5 grams salt 1 teaspoon

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

8 grams cinnamon 1 Tablespoon
150 grams sugar ¾ cup
120 grams walnuts, chopped 1 cup

Icing

120 grams powdered sugar 1 cup
15-30 grams milk 1-2 Tablespoons

Topping

30 grams walnuts, chopped ¼ cup
15 grams sugar 1 Tablespoon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugars, oil, and eggs until smooth with a whisk.
200 grams sugar, 165 grams brown sugar, 180 grams oil, 3 eggs
Then add the sour cream, vanilla, and sourdough discard, and stir until combined.
240 grams sour cream, 14 grams vanilla extract, 180 grams sourdough discard
In a separate medium bowl mix together the baking soda, salt, and flour.
7 grams baking soda, 5 grams salt, 350 grams flour
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just moistened. It’s ok if it is lumpy. Don’t overmix because this will cause a tougher texture.
In a separate bowl, mix together cinnamon, sugar and chopped nuts.
8 grams cinnamon, 150 grams sugar, 120 grams walnuts, chopped
Heavily spray a bundt cake pan with non-stick spray or brush oil on the pan. To ensure the cake comes out easily you can also sprinkle the pan with almond flour or sugar. Do not grease the pan with butter as the milk solids can act like glue.
Pour half of the cake batter into the pan and sprinkle the
cinnamon sugar mix on top (it’s a thick layer). Using a toothpick swirl the cinnamon sugar and then pour the remaining batter on top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. To ensure the coffee cake is done, place a toothpick in a few spots around the coffee cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, then it is ready to be removed from the oven.
Once baked, let the coffee cake sit for 5-10 minutes in the pan to set before placing on a cooling rack. I don’t recommend letting it completely cool in the pan as that can make the edges tough. Take a spatula and gently run it along the sides of the pan to ensure the coffee cake quickly releases from the pan when flipped. Place a cooling rack on top of the bundt pan and carefully flip the bundt pan over. Let the pan sit upside down for 5 minutes and then give the pan a shake from side to side to gently release the cake from the pan.
Prepare the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar and milk. Slowly add the milk until you reach your desired consistency.
120 grams powdered sugar, 15-30 grams milk
Top with a mix of sugar and chopped walnuts if desired.
30 grams walnuts, chopped, 15 grams sugar

Notes

You can substitute the sourdough for greek yogurt. You can use a whole or non-fat version although whole will ensure a more moist cake.
Your sourdough discard can be straight from the fridge. You can use bubbly active starter in place of discard if that’s what you have on hand.

Bundt pan tips for success

Use a nonstick bundt cake pan. To ensure success use a pan that is in good condition and with the coating in tact.
To ensure the cake does not stick to the bundt pan it needs to be well greased. Heavily spray a bundt cake pan with non-stick spray ensuring to get the inner and outer rims of the pan. You can brush oil on the pan instead but I wouldn’t recommend greasing the pan with butter as the milk solids can act like glue. You can also sprinkle sugar around the pan to create a barrier.
Let the cake cool for about 5-10 minutes in the pan before trying to flip it over to let the cake set.
Use a skinny spatula or knife to gently separate the cake from the pan before flipping it over.
If the cake is stuck in the pan you can try running a towel under warm water and then wringing it out. Wrap the towel around the bottom of the pan and let it sit 10-15 minutes before trying to remove the cake again.

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