Combine bright lemon flavour with an extra tang of sourdough starter for an ultimate Sourdough Lemon Cake with a deliciously sweet lemon glaze! It is an easy, super moist, flavoursome and overall great cake that any sourdough baker with excess starter will appreciate!
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For a variation of this deliciously moist cake, try our Sourdough Lime Drizzle Cake or Sourdough Lemon Muffins (it's a great recipe to turn into cupcakes too)! If you have a glut of zucchini (courgettes), try our Sourdough Zucchini Muffins With Lemon & Poppy Seeds (Courgette Muffins).
Or go all out with our new summer favourites - Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Loaf Cake and Sourdough Discard Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake!
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What Does Sourdough Discard Do In Baking?
Sourdough discard is not to be discarded. Whilst it doesn't have enough leavening power to give your bakes the rise in the oven, it has lots of benefits. So why use sourdough to make Sourdough Courgette Cake or maybe Sourdough Apple Cake? Or even Sourdough Rhubarb Cake?
- It's a great way to reduce food waste!
- The acidity in sourdough starter produces the most tender cake with a better texture compared to regular loaf cakes.
- Sourdough tang complements the lemon flavour beautifully.
- Adding sourdough discard is a wonderful way to prolong the shelf-life of the cake, as the good bacteria in the starter act as a mild preservative.
- It's easier to skip eggs in baking with discard, as hydrated flour acts as a great binder. Try this in our Sourdough Chocolate Cake recipe.
For more sweet treats, head to our Sourdough Desserts collection!
Tools Needed
All you need to make this great recipe are:
- A few mixing bowls
- Electric mixer (or a balloon whisk and lots of muscle strength)
- 2lbs Loaf Tin
- A piece of parchment paper
- A skewer, for pricking the holes in the cake.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Our sourdough lemon loaf uses very simple ingredients and can easily be adjusted for dairy-free diets. Here's what you'll need.
- vegetable oil: or other neutral oil, like sunflower or rapeseed oil. We do not recommend using olive oil in this recipe, as it completely changes the flavour profile.
- caster sugar: or white granulated sugar.
- eggs: large in the UK, extra-large in the US.
- milk: we tried this recipe with dairy milk, as well as plant-based alternatives, like nut or soya milk.
- sourdough discard: you can use unfed starter or active starter that is 100% hydration. Please read the section below for more details.
- plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour. Low-gluten cake flour may also be used.
- baking powder: not to be confused with baking soda.
- salt.
- poppy seeds: optional, but highly recommended.
- lemons: you will need fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, so choose unwaxed fresh lemons (Meyer lemons are the BEST).
- powdered sugar: also known as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar.
All the quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
And if you're looking to introduce similar flavours into your sourdough bread, head to our Lemon Poppy Seed Sourdough Bread recipe.
A Note on Sourdough Starter
Unfed sourdough starter is used in this recipe, however, we would not advise using old discard that has been sitting in the fridge for days.
Ideally, you want sourdough starter discard that's been fed no earlier than in the last 2-3 days. Old discard will have high acidity levels that will overpower the lemon flavour instead of complementing it.
What is more, you can use active sourdough starter - it will not make any difference, because this sourdough cake is baked right away without undergoing the long fermentation process.
Step-By-Step Method
Before you begin, spray your loaf pan with cooking spray or grease it with oil or unsalted butter. Line the base and long sides of the greased loaf pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove from the tin once baked.
Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.
Step 1: Mix Cake Batter
In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs and sugar and whisk until combined and sugar dissolves. You may use an electric mixer or a balloon whisk.
In a separate bowl, mix sourdough starter discard and milk. Then add the mixture to the eggs alongside the zest of a lemon and poppy seeds and stir to combine.
In another medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, taking care not to overmix. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
Step 2: Baking
Bake the sourdough lemon cake for 45-50 minutes in the centre of the oven. The top of your cake should have a cracked dome and the edges deep golden brown. To check if the cake is ready, insert a wooden skewer or a toothpick into the centre. It should come out clean.
Step 3: Lemon Drizzle
Whilst the cake bakes, mix the lemon juice with caster sugar in a small bowl. Mix for a minute or so, until sugar dissolves and set it aside.
Make small holes in the warm cake using a wooden skewer or a cocktail stick. Spoon the Lemon drizzle all over, ensuring it soaks into the holes. This will make the cake extra moist and give it more of that lemony zing.
Leave it to soak up for 20 minutes. Then take the loaf cake out of the pan and place it on a wire rack and let the cake cool down.
Step 4: Lemon Glaze
In the meantime, make the lemon glaze by mixing the powdered sugar with lemon juice until you have icing of drizzleable consistency. Add a little bit more lemon juice or water to loosen if needed. We also use this glaze for Lemon Sourdough Focaccia!
Once the cake is at room temperature, drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cake and let it set completely before slicing!
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More Lemon Recipes
We love a good lemon dessert here, at Somebody Feed Seb. Sourdough and lemon is a brilliant combination, so we encourage you to try our Lemon & Blueberry Sourdough Scones, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins and Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Scones. Sourdough for dessert? Try our Sourdough Lemon Bars - super tasty, tangy, delicious!
Here are some more lemon desserts to try next:
Tips For Best Results
This is a really easy recipe, so you will have great success even if you are a beginner. But if it's your first time making this Sourdough Lemon Cake, here are some tips:
- Use real lemons. Bottled lemon juice just doesn't stack up!
- Do not overmix. Gentle hand at mixing and stopping as soon as the ingredients are incorporated will produce a lighter cake with tender crumb.
- Don't be tempted to use less sugar in the cake batter, but you can reduce the amount of lemon glaze on top.
- Cool the Sourdough Cake completely before covering it with lemon glaze, otherwise, it will soak into the bake itself.
Storage
This Sourdough Lemon Cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. It will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days.
For longer storage, freeze the cake. You can freeze the whole loaf cake or wrap each individual slice in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-friendly ziplock bag. The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Defrost thoroughly and enjoy! Note that the whole sourdough cake is best frozen without the lemon glaze.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes To Try
You you bake sourdough bread regularly, you will likely be constantly looking for new sourdough discard recipes. Well, you are in the right place. If you liked our delicious lemon loaf, you will LOVE the ideas below. Here are our favourite recipes:
Easy Sourdough Lemon Cake
Ingredients
- 120 ml (½ cups) vegetable oil
- 140 g (1 cups + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 180 ml (¾ cups) milk
- 120 g (½ cups) sourdough discard/ unfed starter 100% hydration
- 190 g (1½ cups) white flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon zest only
- 2 tablespoon poppy seeds optional
For Lemon Drizzle:
- 1 lemon juice only,
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
For Lemon Glaze:
- 90 g (¾ cups) icing sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Before you begin, spray your loaf pan with cooking spray or grease it with oil or unsalted butter. Line the base and long sides of the greased loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan.
- In a large bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs and sugar and whisk until combined and sugar dissolves.
- In a separate bowl, mix sourdough starter discard and milk. Then add the mixture to the eggs alongside the zest of a lemon and poppy seeds and stir to combine.
- In another medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, taking care not to overmix. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake the sourdough lemon cake for 45-50 minutes in the centre of the oven. The top of your cake should have a cracked dome and the edges deep golden brown. To check if the cake is ready, insert a wooden skewer or a toothpick into the centre. It should come out clean.
Lemon Drizzle
- Whilst the cake bakes, mix the lemon juice with caster sugar in a small bowl. Mix for a minute or so, until sugar dissolves and set it aside.
- Make small holes in the warm cake using a wooden skewer or a cocktail stick. Spoon the Lemon drizzle all over, ensuring it soaks into the holes. This will make the cake extra moist and give it more of that lemony zing. Leave it to soak up for 20 minutes. Then take the loaf cake out of the pan and place it on a wire rack and let the cake cool down.
Lemon Glaze
- In the meantime, make the lemon glaze by mixing the powdered sugar with lemon juice until you have icing of drizzleable consistency. Add a little bit more lemon juice or water to loosen if needed. Once the cake is at room temperature, drizzle the glaze all over the top of the cake and let it set completely before slicing!
Video
Nutrition
Sarah says
Hello! What sort of flour does this need? Plain or self-raising? Thanks
Ieva Greber says
We use plain flour 🙂
Nerissa Hood says
Your note says to cool the cake completely before adding the lemon drizzle, yet the instructions say to add it when the cake is still warm and in the pan. What is best? Thanks.
Ieva Greber says
Hi, there! Thank you for the question. The drizzle (lemon juice and caster/ granulated sugar) should be added when the cake is still warm. The glaze/ icing (lemon juice and powdered sugar) should be added once the cake has cooled dwn completely 🙂
Bobbi says
Is the batter suppose to be lumpy? It says to fold in and be careful not to over mix. I am scared I under mixed perhaps.
Ieva Greber says
Yes, the batter can look a little lumpy, especially as it’s oil-based and quite thin, which makes combining the wet and dry ingredients a bit trickier. When I bake it, the batter isn’t perfectly smooth either. The main thing is to make sure there are no large pockets of dry flour, as those can stay dry once baked — small lumps are absolutely fine.
Did it turn out okay in the end?
Martina says
This sourdough lemon cake came out so moist and bright, with the perfect little tang from the starter. The sweet lemon glaze made every slice feel fresh, soft, and impossible to stop nibbling.
Ieva Greber says
Thank you so much, Martina! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. That bright lemon flavour with the little tang from the starter is exactly what I love about this cake too — and yes, that glaze does make “just one more slice” dangerously easy. 😄
Clau says
So moist and the lemon comes through perfectly. That little tang from the sourdough works really well. Brought it to a potluck and came home with an empty plate.
Ieva Greber says
Thank you, Clau! An empty plate is always the best review, isn’t it? I’m so pleased the lemon and sourdough tang worked so well — potluck victory secured.
Faith says
This sourdough lemon cake is amazing. It is such a great summer baking recipe.
Swathi says
Lemon sourdough cake is delicious and easy to put together thanks for sharing.
Ieva Greber says
Thanks, Swathi — glad it came together easily and hit the spot. Lemon sourdough cake is one of those "simple but properly satisfying" bakes!
BJ says
What size loaf pan do you recommend?
Ieva Greber says
A loaf pan around 9 x 5 x 2.75 inches (23cm x 13cm x 7cm) works great for the quantity of cake batter here!