Sourdough Coffee Cake

I am having so much fun with Sourdough Surprises. I love trying new things with my sourdough starter, and it's even more fun doing it with a group of friends!

Keeping a sourdough starter healthy is very easy, requiring nothing more than flour and water.  But, when feeding a starter, you don't feed the entire thing - you only feed a portion of it.  The un-fed is referred to as the "discard" portion.  

The thing is, I almost never discard my discard. I don't like wasting food of any sort, and definitely not a portion of the starter I've been feeding and caring for for months!

So I am always looking for new and delicious ways to use my discard starter, and last week's was a super one.

I was looking for something quick, easy and breakfast-y when I found the perfect recipe. Coffee cake.

Little miss was a big help - she prepared the streussel topping and helped me mix together the cake batter.

Then, easy peasy, the batter was poured into the pan and the streussel topping was sprinkled on top.

Then the cake rests. We prepared this cake after dinner, right before the kids hopped into the tub. So, while the recipe calls for the cake to rest for 30 minutes, I let it rest for all of the kids' bathtime and bedtime routine.  Once the kids were in bed, the cake went into the oven.

It smelled delicious, and looked crumbly and delicious when it came out of the oven. Now we just had to wait until breakfast time to try it!

And let me say - this was worth the wait.  I actually brought this over to my in laws' house the next morning, as they were babysitting little miss first thing in the morning, and everyone enjoyed it!  This is definitely a great use for "discard" sourdough, and I look forward to making it again.

Sourdough Coffee Cake

(from about.com: German food)

for the streussel topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar (I used light brown sugar)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, cold

Combine flour, (brown) sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Rub in cold butter using your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly and sticks together when you press it together with your fingers. Set topping aside.

for the cake:

1 cup healthy sourdough starter (100% hydration)

1/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional, I omitted this)

Spray 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" square cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together all ingredients until they are just combined.

Spread batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top of the cake.

Allow the cake to rest for 30 minutes. While it is resting, preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the cake is set and the sides begin to pull away from the pan.

Allow to cool before cutting.

Enjoy!

Tweet

Pin It