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
Ingredients
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
- ¾ cup milk
For the Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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.
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.
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.
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
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 LemonsOriginal Heart Bread Loaf Pan Stoneware Loaf Pan, Green Meatloaf Pan, Loaf Pans For Baking Bread, Nonstick Bread Pans, Retangular Bread Baking Pan for KitchenLemon 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.
Common Questions
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.
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.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.
Is it sourdough starter or sourdough discard? Or are they the same
they are basically the same, discard just means it’s not bubbly/ active. i use discard for this. the baking powder is what makes it rise 🙂
This was an excellent and tasty treat. Made mini loaves. Will be making these often.
It was excellent. It rose beautifully and was a hit with my husband and sister. I especially loved that it had fewer ingredients than other recipes. Win win in my book.
thanks barbie, so glad you liked it! it’s an easy one isn’t it? 🙂
Made this lemon sourdough discard loaf cake. Ate it. Loved it.
It was beautiful too! I weighed my sourdough discard because it was still a little bubbly. 113g. Baked for 70 min No other changes
Thanks so much for this keeper recipe!❤️
An 8″x4″ loaf pan? Or a 9″x5″ loaf pan? Could you possibly add the answer to the recipe instructions? Many thanks
I use 8×4. But 9×5 will work and just be done faster.
What a wonderful recipe! Thank you for making this so easy to follow.
best lemon cake ever! I sell this at our local Farmer’s Market and my customers go crazy for it!
Where do I get sourdough starter?
hi barbara you can get some from etsy or make your own: https://heartscontentfarmhouse.com/sourdough-starter-recipe/ 🙂
So moist and easy to do. Everyone loved it, so this recipe is now on regular rotation in our house. I added some poppyseeds and it is practically impossible to keep it around for long.
thanks roxanne! i love the poppyseed idea 🙂
This is great glazed and plain. I had a slice before glazing and it was great. I made it the night before serving so I put it in the fridge once glazed and it was amazing!
My husband doesn’t like lemon flavored things and he loved this!
Super easy recipe and yummy!
Hi, can this be left on the counter for a few days or should it be refrigerated after making? Or does it have to be frozen if leftovers?
hi liz coutner is fine for 2 days or so :), even 3
I made this before Bible study this morning and the ladies really liked it. I made it with freshly milled flour and it was delicious. Thanks!
I doubled the recipe and made a pound cake for a family get together. There wasn’t a crumb left at the end of the day!! Such a moist, flavorful cake. I personally would add a little more sugar to the batter next time, and a little less lemon zest in the glaze, as it made it a little too bitter, but overall, this is such a perfect, easy recipe!
Easy, yummy recipe to follow!
This has become my favorite discard recipe. Absolutely delicious! Everyone loves it!
This recipe was delicious. I did add extra zest and juice in both the batter and glaze. I will definitely make this again. I doubled it and made two loaves.
For some reason it won’t let me click 5 stars but this recipe is amazing!!! I made it for a group I’m a part of and it was a huge hit!
Beautiful, delicious, quick, simple. Perfect for my Sunday School class snack with coffee.
My husband enjoyed it as well.
I have made this twice now and it is perfect. My husband loves it for breakfast. I’m at high altitude so i add ~roughly an extra 1/4c of flour, which may or may not be necessary, but find it works really nicely for me. I have a feeling this will be a monthly request to make from the husband…:)
I’ve made twice and it’s gone within a day! Perfect desert serve that’s not too sweet. I added more lemon juice for extra flavor but an easy quick recipe