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Simple Glazed Sourdough Lemon Cake

Somewhere between a dessert and a quick bread, this sourdough lemon cake mixes up quickly and gives you a nice moist loaf. But the really good part is the lemony sugar glaze that you pour on top while it’s still warm. So good. Often imitated, never duplicated, it’s one of my original sourdough discard recipes and still one of my very favorites.

Glazed Sourdough Lemon Cake

A sweet and delicious lemon cake with a crackly yummy glaze. Do not skip the glaze, the cake relies heavily on it!
Print Recipe
close up view of sliced sourdough lemon pound cake
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:50 minutes
Total Time:1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • cups flour
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup sourdough starter discard
  • ¾ cup milk

For the Glaze

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

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Instructions

Make the Cake

  • Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center.  Prepare a loaf pan or 9 x 9 square cake pan with cooking spray.
  • Wet ingredients. Combine the vegetable oil, eggs, and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until well combined.
    large mixing bowl with oil, eggs, sugar
  • Dry ingredients and milk. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and add to the sugar mixture 1/3 at a time, alternating with the milk and the sourdough starter.  Mix on low until just combined.  Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest by hand.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
    finished cake batter in mixing bowl
  • Bake and cool. Bake for 50-60 minutes (for the loaf pan) or 40-50 minutes (for the square pan) until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Place on a wire rack.  Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan.
    brown, baked cake

Make The Glaze

  • In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice for the glaze.  Pour over the still-warm cake.
    thick lemon glaze with zest
  •  After the glaze has soaked in and hardened, remove cake from pan and allow to finish cooling on wire rack.  Slice and serve once cool.
    wire rack with glazed cake

Video

Notes

Having trouble with your cake sinking?  Try adding a teaspoon of baking soda along with the powder.  Cakes can also sink if they are underbaked: this recipe looks very browned before it bakes through.
Can be frozen if allowed to cool completely and then wrapped tightly.  Glaze after it’s defrosted.
Be sure to try cinnamon sugar blueberry sourdough muffins if you love this cake!

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 242kcal
Author: Katie

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s simple enough to make all the time. Afternoon tea party, spring breakfast time, after school snack, whenever.

close up of sliced lemon loaf on wooden board.

There’s no need to wait for anything to ferment or activate or rise; your discard can go straight from the fridge to your mixing bowl.

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Kitchen Wisdom

There’s something wonderfully frugal about this cake it turns something you might throw away into something delicious. Just like our grandmothers would save bread ends for pudding or whey from cheesemaking for baking, we’re putting that excess starter to work.

Tips for Success

Let the cake cool for exactly 15 minutes before glazing so the glaze to partially sinks in but still creates a nice finish.

Don’t skimp on the lemon zest – it’s where most of the flavor comes from.

A few readers have noted that their lemon cake has collapsed after baking. Since receiving that feedback, I’ve added some baking soda to the recipe to help leaven it further.

The baking soda is optional and will produce a lighter cake. I never use the baking soda. I prefer it with only baking powder because it has a denser, more pound cake-like texture.

The two most common causes of this are an underdone cake or inactive baking powder/ baking soda. Make sure your cake is fully baked by using a cake tester or a toothpick and remember that baking powder and baking soda should be replaced every 6 months.

finished cake in loaf pan.
this cake is fully baked and is deep golden brown

The cake will look quite brown before it’s fully baked trust your cake tester more than the color. If it’s underbaked it will sink when you pull it out.

Ingredients and Equipment

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Sourdough discard: Can be used straight from the fridge – any level of activity is fine 

Fresh lemons: Essential for both juice and zest – bottled juice won’t give you the same bright flavor

Baking powder: Must be fresh (within 6 months) for proper rise

oil, milk, lemons, starter, flour, sugar, on wooden board

 Equipment: While an electric mixer makes things easier, you can make this by hand. A loaf pan or 9×9 square pan both work beautifully

 Boston International Ceramic Nesting Prep Bowls, 3 Sizes, Painterly Lemons Original Heart Bread Loaf Pan Stoneware Loaf Pan, Green Meatloaf Pan, Loaf Pans For Baking Bread, Nonstick Bread Pans, Retangular Bread Baking Pan for Kitchen Lemon Zester Grater, Citrus Zester Grater with Handle, Kitchen Gadgets for Cheese, Lemon, Chocolate, Nutmeg, Ginger, Fruit, Vegetable, Stainless Steel Micro Cheese Grate, Dishwasher Safe(Narrow)

 

Make It Your Own

  • Swap the lemon for orange or lime.
  • Add 1/2 cup of poppy seeds for a classic lemon poppyseed loaf.
  • Try melted butter instead of oil for a richer flavor.

Storage & Serving

Perfect for breakfast with coffee, as an afternoon snack, or dressed up with whipped cream for dessert.

  • Keeps well at room temperature for 3 days when wrapped tightly
  • Freezes well; let it cool completely, wrap well, and freeze without the glaze. Add the glaze after thawing.
  • But for easier serving for snacks or busy mornings, I like to glaze and slice the cake them wrap and freeze individual slices.

Common Questions

Why did my cake sink in the middle?

Usually this means it’s slightly underbaked or your leavening agents aren’t fresh. Try adding a teaspoon of baking soda along with the powder for extra insurance.

How can I tell it’s fully baked?

A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, and the cake should spring back when lightly pressed.

Like all the best recipes, this cake is quick for busy weekdays but good enough for company. Keep this one in your back pocket, and be sure to let me know how you like it.

another view of cake.

Love,

261 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is DELICIOUS! I made a loaf yesterday for the first time, and waiting for a second loaf to cool that I made this morning for a friend. Thank you for an easy recipe to use up sourdough discard!

    1. hi carol! thank you so much for telling me you loved the recipe. it’s such a good one for this time of year! have a beautiful day 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    So good! This is my second time making it and we’re still totally obsessed. I tried a different sourdough discard lemon cake recipe, but it just wasn’t as good. This one’s my go-to from now on!

4.61 from 204 votes (100 ratings without comment)

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