Sourdough Courgette Loaf Cake (Zucchini Bread With Discard)

If you're after a bake that's equal parts wholesome and zesty, this Sourdough Courgette Loaf Cake With Lime Glaze delivers big time (for my readers across the ocean, you'll probably recognise it as Sourdough Zucchini Bread). Packed with grated veg and finished with a sweet citrus drizzle, it is the perfect way to use up sourdough discard and sneak in some greenery.

Jump to:

• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Using Sourdough Discard In Baking
• Step-By-Step Method
• Ways To Enhance Lime Flavour
• Storage
• More Sourdough Discard Recipes
• Sourdough Courgette Loaf Cake (Zucchini Bread With Discard)

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If you like the sound of this courgette cake, you may also like our sourdough discard carrot cake, sourdough plum cake and sourdough banana bread recipe. 

Most zucchini bread recipes I see have warming spices, like cinnamon, in them. And whilst it's a beautiful flavour, courgettes are in season in summer, and cinnamon is such a cold-weather spice...

In this sourdough discard courgette cake recipe, we rectified this mismatch! Based on our Courgette and Lime Cake recipe, this recipe is zingy, fresh and a perfect summer dessert! Just like our Sourdough Zucchini Muffins With Lemon & Poppy Seeds (Courgette Muffins).

Fancy something savoury? Try our Sourdough Courgette Galette, Courgette Ribbon Galette With Whipped Feta and Sourdough Courgette Fritters or Courgette, Cheddar and Spring Onion Sourdough Muffins.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Here are all the simple ingredients you'll need for this sourdough discard cake:

• courgette (zucchini): coarsely grated. 
• plain flour (all-purpose flour): with lower protein content than bread flour. 
• baking powder: the only leavening agent in this recipe. 
• salt. 
• light brown sugar: may be replaced with dark brown sugar. 
• eggs: we used large eggs in the UK, so you may need extra large eggs in the US. 
• neutral oil: like vegetable oil or sunflower oil. When we tried making it with olive oil and coconut oil, we found that they overwhelmed the rest of the flavours. 
• vanilla bean paste: or vanilla extract.
• sourdough discard: 100% hydration. Since the cake batter does not have the extended fermentation time, you may use active sourdough starter too. 
• pistachio nuts: optional. Consider other mix-ins like white chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts or raisins. 
• limes: lime zest for the cake batter, and juice for the lime glaze. 
• icing sugar: a.k. a. powdered sugar.

Find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Using Sourdough Discard In Baking

Incorporating leftover starter into bakes is both practical and flavoursome. Here's how it works in this recipe:

• Adds a subtle tang to your cake (perfect with sweet fruit like in our Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake).
• The natural acidity helps create tender crumbs and adds extra moisture to bakes.
• Discard can slightly prolong shelf life by slowing down staling.
• A great way to reduce waste and put leftover starter to good use.
• Discard contains excess water, so it's essential to squeeze your courgettes really well to avoid soggy results.

Step-By-Step Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 2-lb loaf tin with parchment paper sling.

2. Using a box grater, coarsely grate the courgette and place it all in the centre of a clean tea towel, gather the corners together, and twist it over the sink to squeeze excess moisture from the courgette. Set it aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.

4. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs, using an electric hand mixer, for approximately 2 minutes, until sugar starts dissolving and the mixture turns pale and creamy.

5. Add the oil, vanilla bean paste and sourdough discard and beat again for approximately 30 seconds.

6. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined (some white flour streaks are ok, at this point).

7. Add the grated courgette, pistachio nuts and lime zest, and fold them gently into the batter, ensuring no more dry flour pockets remain.

8. Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place in a preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the top of golden brown. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with a piece of aluminium foil. 

9. Leave the cake to cool in the cake tin for 15-20 minutes. Run a blunt butter knife around the edge before turning it out of the loaf tin and transferring it onto a wire rack to cool down completely. To make the icing, mix the powdered sugar with lime juice, adding more juice for drizzleable consistency, as needed.

10. Once the courgette cake has cooled down to room temperature, drizzle the lime glaze all over the top, and leave it to set before slicing.

Ways To Enhance Lime Flavour

For best results, you may want to add one of the extra steps in this recipe to enhance the flavour of time in the cake. This is particularly beneficial if you're skipping the lime glaze.

• Add the lime zest to the sugar instead. Rub the zest and sugar with your fingertips to release the citrus peel oils. It's a perfect way to enhance the flavour of lime. The only drawback is that the zest may gather around the electric mixer beaters, so you will need to scrape them well to add the zest back into the cake batter. 
• For best results, a few hours before you make the cake (or even the night before), heat the oil and lime zest gently, until it reaches 37-40°C (no higher). Take the oil off the heat and leave the oil to cool as it further infuses with the lime flavour. 

Storage

Store any leftover loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. To freeze, skip the glaze and wrap the cooled loaf (or individual slices) tightly, then pop it into a freezer bag-it'll keep well for up to 3 months.

More Sourdough Discard Recipes

If you bake a lot of sourdough bread, you're probably always on the hunt for new and exciting sourdough recipes using discard (I mean, there's only so much sourdough discard banana bread one can eat, right?). We've got plenty of fun ways to use up that extra discard!