Sourdough Apple Cake (Recipe Made With Discard)

Name: Sourdough Apple Cake Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 pound apples, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp (about 3 medium apples); 210 grams all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups); 8 grams baking powder (2 teaspoons); 3 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon); 226 grams unsalted butter (1 cup); 200 grams sugar (1 cup); 3 egg yolks (about 75 grams); 60 grams rum *see substitutions below ( 4 Tablespoons); 120 grams sourdough discard (1/2 cup); 8 grams vanilla extract (2 teaspoons); 40 grams sugar, for topping (3 Tablespoons)

You’ll love this sourdough apple cake for its soft, buttery texture and tender apple pieces. The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang, while a splash of rum gives gentle warmth without needing extra spices. It bakes up with a light, crackly sugar topping, and the batter comes together easily. You can use a springform or cake pan. It’s a simple, comforting home bake full of flavor and nutrients.

SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON

Want To Save This Recipe?

Enter your email below, and we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, you’ll get my newest sourdough recipes and best tips every week!

MY LATEST VIDEO

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

Unbelievably tender and moist:

This sourdough discard apple cake is unbelievably tender and moist, and the crumb literally melts in your mouth. Even a day or two later, the cake stays fresh, moist, and just as satisfying as when it first comes out of the oven.

Perfect use for that extra sourdough discard:

This easy dessert is a great way to use up sourdough discard without having to bake bread. Using discard here doesn’t just prevent waste, it adds depth and richness to the crumb. If you love this recipe, try my sourdough apple cinnamon quick bread for another cozy discard bake.

A little rum for cozy warmth:

The rum isn’t booze in this recipe. It’s the secret ingredient that makes this enriched homemade cake feel extra cozy. It brings subtle warmth and a lightly spiced sweetness that complements the apples without the flavor being too powerful. The alcohol bakes off, leaving behind just flavor. If you don’t want to use ram, use apple juice, milk, or even water. Swapping in a non-alcoholic liquid can make the cake bake a little faster, so start checking a few minutes before the usual bake time.

Take a minute to check out some of my other easy recipes, like this sourdough coffee cake or these sourdough apple muffins.

Ingredients & Substitutions

* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*

ingredients for making sourdough apple cake

Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Butter: If you substitute unsalted butter with salted butter, cut 1 gram (¼ teaspoon) from the cake batter.
Apples: I used tart Granny Smith apples. These and Honeycrisp apples are my favorite apples for this sourdough cake. They’re just a bit tart, perfectly balanced by the sugar and stay tender without turning mushy. You could also go for apples like Pink Lady, Gala, or even do a combination of your favorites.
Rum: Since there aren’t any spices in this cake, the rum is what brings that extra warmth and depth of flavor. Don’t worry, the alcohol bakes off, but it leaves behind a sweet, almost spiced taste that pairs so well with the apples. If you’d rather skip the rum, you can use apple juice, milk, or even water. The cake may bake a little faster, so start checking on it early.
Sourdough Discard: Fresh, room-temperature discard that’s about 1–2 days old works best for this cake because it keeps the flavor mild and the crumb soft. Discard that’s been sitting in the fridge tastes tangier since the acids keep building up even when the yeast slows down, so the flavor comes through sharper. You can use an active sourdough starter in the exact same amount, but it won’t affect the rise, which is what the baking powder is for.

How to Make Sourdough Apple Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line a springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside as well.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. While still mixing on medium speed, add one egg yolk at a time.

Add the rum, sourdough discard, and vanilla to the egg mixture and mix on low. The batter will look curdled, this is okay.

Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. When there are just a few streaks of flour left, pour in the apple pieces and continue to mix until incorporated.

batter on a cake pan sprinkled with sugar

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it to be an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top of the batter.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake come to room temperature. Then just before serving, dust powdered sugar on top. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

How to Store:

Counter: This sourdough apple cake keeps really well, so you don’t have to eat it all at once, not that it’s not tempting. On the counter, it’ll stay fresh for about 2 days if you keep it covered. I use a cake dome, but something simple like aluminum foil over the pan will work too.

Fridge: If you need it to last longer, store it in the fridge in an airtight container and it’ll stay good for about 5 days.

Freezer: And how well does this homemade cake freeze? Really well. Slice the cake, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, and slide them into a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or rewarm it in the oven at 300°F for 10–15 minutes so it tastes almost like just baked it.

FAQs

Why does the batter look curdled after adding the sourdough discard and rum?

That’s normal with this recipe. The rum and sourdough discard add a lot of liquid, and at that stage the mixture doesn’t have enough flour to hold everything together. The butter and liquid separate a bit, which makes the batter look curdled. Once you fold in the dry ingredients and apples, it comes back together into a thick, smooth batter. And in the end, the cake bakes up moist and tender.

Can I bake this cake in a different pan?

Yes. A springform pan makes serving easiest, but you can also use a regular 9-inch cake pan, an 8×8 square pan, or even a small bundt pan. Just make sure to grease it well and line the bottom with parchment if possible so the cake doesn’t stick. If you change the pan size, keep an eye on bake time. Thinner cakes bake faster, while deeper ones (like a bundt) may need the full 50 minutes or a little more.

Can I substitute the rum with something non-alcoholic?

Yes, you can swap the rum for apple juice, milk, or even water. Apple juice will make the cake taste a little sweeter, and milk gives the crumb a richer texture. Water works too, but expect the flavor to be, well, more plain. Because these liquids are lighter than rum, the cake may bake faster, so start checking for doneness at 35 minutes and check again every 5 minutes after that.

Do I have to use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples?

No, you don’t have to use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, even though they’re favorites because they stay firm and have that perfect sweet-tart balance. For the best results, use tart apples like Pink Lady or Gala. Sweet apples like Fuji apples? These ones can be used if you like a sweeter apple flavor. Very soft apples, like Red Delicious, should be avoided because they can turn mushy as the cake bakes. You can also mix different apple varieties if you want that.

More Recipes Like This

Easy Sourdough Apple Pie Recipe

Sourdough Apple Pie Bars with Salted Caramel

Sourdough Discard Apple Cinnamon Quick Bread Recipe

Sourdough Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe (Discard)