Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Cake (In A Loaf Tin)
If sunshine had a bake sale table, this Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Cake would absolutely be on it. Bright with lemon zest, packed with juicy blueberries and finished with a tangy glaze, this Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Loaf Cake is one of those easy bakes that somehow feels both cheerful and slightly fancy. It’s soft, fresh, deeply lemony and exactly the kind of sourdough discard cake you’ll want to make on repeat through spring and summer.
Equipment
- 2lb Loaf Tin (23 x 13 x 7 cm or 9 x 5 x 2.75 inches)
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 150 g granulated sugar
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 100 g sourdough discard 100% hydration, unfed
- 180 g sour cream or thick Greek Yogurt
- 190 g plain flour all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Blueberries:
- 170 g fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon plain flour all-purpose flour
For the lemon glaze
- 90 g icing sugar powdered sugar
- 1½-2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F.
- Lightly grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest.
- Rub them together with your fingertips for about 30 seconds, until the sugar feels slightly damp and smells very lemony. This step really helps release the oils from the zest and gives the loaf a much stronger lemon flavour.
- Add the vegetable oil to the lemon sugar and whisk briefly.
- Whisk in the eggs, then add the sourdough discard and sour cream. Mix until smooth.
- Don’t worry if it looks slightly split at first — once the flour goes in, it’ll sort itself out.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold gently until just combined.
- Toss the fresh blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour. This helps stop them all from sinking straight to the bottom.
- Fold the blueberries gently into the batter.
- Optional extra anti-sink trick: Spoon a thin layer of plain batter into the loaf tin first, then fold the blueberries into the rest and add that on top. This gives them less chance to all gather at the bottom.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and level the top.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until the loaf is golden grown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (a little blueberry juice is fine, wet batter is not).
- If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil for the last 15 minutes.
- Leave the loaf in the tin for 15–20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, mix the icing sugar with 1½–2 tablespoon lemon juice until you have a thick but pourable glaze.
- Spoon or drizzle over the loaf and leave to set.
Nutrition
Calories: 275kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 184mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 141IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
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