Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

A classic vanilla cupcake recipe just had an upgrade! Trust me, when I say that introducing a little bit of sourdough discard into the batter will make the best cupcakes you've ever tasted! An easy beginner-friendly and delicious recipe, these Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes are perfect for any special occasion, and are a perfect blank canvas to introduce other flavours!

Jump to:

• Why Use Sourdough To Make Cupcakes?
• Equipment Used
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• A Note on Sourdough Starter
• Step-By-Step Method
• Tips For Best Results
• Storage & Making Ahead
• Christmas Sourdough ebook
• Other Sweet Sourdough Discard Recipes
• Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost for you! Thank you!

Why Use Sourdough To Make Cupcakes?

Shouldn't sourdough discard be... well, discarded? Absolutely not! Whilst discard does not have enough leavening power to rise the cupcakes in the oven (we use baking powder for that), it adds a lot of benefits to making a variety of baked goods. 

• The acidity in the sourdough starter discard makes super moist and tender cupcakes (it works similarly to buttermilk). 
• It's an easy recipe for those new to sourdough baking, or those who have lots of discard whilst building their own sourdough starter. 
• A great recipe to put discard to good use - prevent that food waste!
• Good bacteria in the starter make these cupcakes keep their freshness for longer, so you can make them a day in advance!

Next time, why not try our Sourdough Carrot Cupcakes or Raspberry & White Chocolate Sourdough Cupcakes?

Equipment Used

You will need: 

• Large mixing bowl 
• Handheld Electric Mixer (or a balloon whisk and some arm strength)
• Rubber spatula
• A 12-hole muffin tin (cupcake tin)
• Cupcake liners (silicone or paper liners)
• Piping Bag and A Nozzle

Ingredients and Substitutes

Here are all the simple ingredients you will need to make sourdough cupcakes (find ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post).

For Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes:

• vegetable oil: or other neutral oil, like rapeseed or sunflower oil. 
• caster sugar: or white granulated sugar. 
• eggs: large in the UK, extra-large in the US. 
• milk: we used whole milk on this occasion, but dairy-free alternatives, like soya or almond milk will work as well. 
• sourdough discard/ unfed sourdough starter: 100% hydration. See notes in the next section. 
• plain flour: also known as all-purpose flour. 
• baking powder: not to be confused with baking soda. 
• salt. 
• vanilla bean paste: can be replaced with seeds from a vanilla pod or pure vanilla extract. 

For The Cream Cheese Frosting:

• unsalted butter: at room temperature
• powdered sugar: also known as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. 
• cream cheese: full-fat, at room temperature. 
• vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. 

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 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 vanilla flavour. What is more, you can use active sourdough starter - it will not make any difference, because the cupcakes are baked right away without undergoing the long fermentation process.  

Here are some more of our favourite recipes to use sourdough discard:

Step-By-Step Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan. Place the cupcake liners into a 12-hole muffin tin (or use silicone cupcake cases, or grease a muffin tin with butter, if it's a truly non-stick type).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar, and, using an electric handheld mixer, beat until combined and sugar dissolves.
3. In a separate large bowl, mix sourdough starter discard and milk. Then add the mixture to the eggs and whisk to combine.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, taking care not to overmix, but making sure there are no fry pockets of your flour mixture.

5. Divide the batter between the muffin liners.
6. Bake cupcakes in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes in the centre of the oven. To check if the sourdough cupcakes are cooked, insert a wooden skewer or a cocktail stick into the centre. If cooked, it should come out clean. Your sourdough cupcakes should only be light golden brown. 
7. Leave the sourdough vanilla cupcakes to cool down completely before frosting them.

TIP: Scoop the middles of the cupcakes out and fill them with custard, lemon curd or jam before frosting.

8. Beat your soft butter on medium speed until soft and fluffy.
9. Add the powdered sugar and beat again for a few minutes until very smooth.
10. Add vanilla and cream cheese and keep beating until everything is well incorporated into a smooth and thick frosting. You may need to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice to ensure cream cheese is incorporated properly. 

11. You can pipe the frosting right away or store it in the fridge.
12. Happy baking!

Tips For Best Results

These sourdough vanilla cupcakes are really easy to make, but if it is your first time making this recipe, here are a few tips to ensure great results: 

• We highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out ingredients for extra precision. 
• You may place your wet ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a whisk attachment to make the cupcake batter, and then use a paddle attachment for the frosting. 
• It is a great idea to take the frosting ingredients out of the fridge 1 hour ahead of time to ensure they are soft and easier to mix together. This will help prevent lumpy frosting. 
• A great way to make this classic recipe your own is to make different icing recipes (we love these with Biscoff Cream Cheese Frosting). Alternatively, introduce various flavours to the cupcake batter itself: add lemon or orange zest, culinary lavender or almond extract!
• Don't fancy frosting? Make the best muffins by adding a streusel topping on top of the batter once you divide it into the muffin cups and bake as per recipe. 

Storage & Making Ahead

You can certainly make the sourdough vanilla cupcakes a day ahead, cool them down to room temperature on a wire rack and then store them in an airtight container. The next day, pipe the frosting on and serve. The frosting can also be whipped up a day ahead!

For longer storage, make the cupcakes, and, once cool, wrap each individually in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or a ziplock bag to protect them from freezer burn. You can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months, so don't hesitate to make a double batch. 

Thaw them fully before icing them with cream cheese frosting. 

Other Sweet Sourdough Discard Recipes

If you make sourdough bread regularly, you will probably be on a constant look-out for delicious ways to put your discard to good use. Our favourite sourdough recipes include Lemon Sourdough Muffins, Sourdough Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake & Sourdough Rhubarb Cake (or Sourdough Rhubarb and Ginger Muffins).

In autumn, we love nothing better than Sourdough Discard Apple Cake and Sourdough Brownies (or Sourdough Blondies).

For more Sourdough Discard Ideas, head to our Full Collection of Discard Recipes here.