Cinnamon Streusel Sourdough Spice Cake
This spice cake is filled with bold flavor from warm Fall baking spices and is topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel. With all this flavor, no one will notice there's sourdough starter discard in it!
Ingredients
For the streusel topping
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
For the batter
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup sourdough starter discard, at room temperature, see Recipe Notes
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream, or plain yogurt (regular or Greek), at room temperature
- ¼ cup canola oil, see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray a standard loaf pan with baking spray, and line with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides.
- Prepare the streusel: Whisk the flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a fork or your hands until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. Place the streusel in the refrigerator while you make the batter. It's important to keep the streusel chilled - that keeps it from melting into the batter when the cake is baking.
- Prepare the batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices. If necessary, mash any large lumps of brown sugar.
- Add the sourdough starter, egg, sour cream, canola oil, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Stir together until everything is just combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Top the batter evenly with the streusel, pressing it down gently into the top of the bread so it sticks.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan using the parchment paper as a sling and allow it to cool completely. Serve & enjoy!
- Storage instructions: Sourdough Spice Cake should stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving. This cake also makes a great gift and ships well!
Notes
You can substitute a scant cup of flour (114 grams) and ½ cup of warm water (118 grams) for the 1 cup of unfed sourdough starter. If desired,
You can substitute ¼ cup of applesauce for the canola oil for a lighter bread.
One of the benefits of baking quick breads is that they can be baked in different sizes and shapes. You're not limited to a stand loaf. Here are some suggestions for alternative presentations:
- One large loaf in a standard loaf pan plus two mini loaves using mini loaf pans. Bake the large loaf for 35 to 40 minutes and the mini loaves for 25 to 30 minutes
- Six mini loaves using mini loaf pans. Bake for for 25 to 30 minutes
- Twelve full-size muffins in a standard muffin pan, each well filled ⅔ full. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes
- One small bundt cake in a 6-cup bundt pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes
Nutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 196 kcalCarbohydrates: 28 gProtein: 2 gFat: 8 gSaturated Fat: 3 gCholesterol: 22 mgSodium: 279 mgPotassium: 36 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 15 gVitamin A: 148 IUVitamin C: 1 mgCalcium: 20 mgIron: 1 mg