Glazed Sourdough Lemon Cake

Somewhere between a dessert and a quick bread, this lemon loaf 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 most popular recipes and still one of my very favorites.

Some of the best sourdough discard recipes are breakfast recipes, because sourdough bakers typically discard and feed their starter in the morning. And this lemon cake makes the perfect breakfast (or snack! or dessert!) that the whole family will love.

There’s no sour taste, just a bright lemon flavor and plenty of sweetness and tartness from the glaze.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

I’ve included baking soda as an optional addition because some readers have reported their cake collapsing after baking. This is usually because your cake is underbaked! But if you want a lighter texture (more of a quick bread), you can add baking soda. I prefer this recipe with just baking powder, which gives more of a pound cake texture.

For the Cake:

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

For the Glaze:

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

Optional Addition:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda add this if you want a lighter cake or if yours has sunk before

You can double this recipe and make two loaves or one larger cake in a 13×9. If you’re looking for a frosted cake for a party, you might prefer this sourdough lemon sheet cake with buttercream frosting.
In the recipe card at the bottom of this post, you can click the 2x button and it will double the ingredients for you.

How to Make

This recipe is easy as can be.

Baking the Cake

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 with the rack in center. 

Prepare your pan with non stick cooking spray. I like to use a loaf pan so it feels acceptable to serve this lemon cake as a breakfast. But a square cake pan works very well too!

Combine the oil, sugar, and eggs, in a bowl with an electric mixer. It will just take a minute.

In a separate bowl, mix up the dry ingredients, including the baking soda if you’re using it. Add them to the sugar mixture ⅓ at a time. So add ⅓ of the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk. Add another third, stir in the sourdough starter. Add the last third and gently stir.

Finally, mix in the lemon juice and zest by hand. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top will crack. If you’re using a square cake pan, it will be done in 40-50 minutes.

Set the cake, still in its pan, onto a cooling rack and let it cool for about 15 minutes. 

Making the Glaze

While the cake is cooling, let’s mix up the glaze. It will all fit in just a small bowl.

Mix up ½ cup of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest.

Pour it over the slightly cooled cake while it’s still in the pan. After a few more minutes, the glaze will cool and harden. At this point, remove the cake and let it finish cooling on a cooling rack.

When completely cool, slice and serve!

You can always double this recipe and freeze one. Make sure it is fully cooled before you freeze it. Make the lemon glaze after it’s defrosted.

Storage Instructions

Keep this cake at room temperature for up to 3 days – just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. The glaze actually helps keep it moist, so don’t skip it!

Freezing: This cake freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, wrap it well, and freeze WITHOUT the glaze. Add the glaze after thawing.

My favorite trick: Glaze and slice the whole cake, then wrap individual slices and freeze them. Perfect for grabbing one slice at a time for lunch boxes or quick snacks. They thaw in about 20 minutes on the counter.

Simple Swaps You Might like

• Make it blueberry lemon by folding in ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• Switch out the lemon for orange or lime (keep the amounts the same)
• Bake as muffins instead (bake about 20 minutes, makes 1 dozen)

Questions and Troubleshooting

Printable Recipe