Sourdough Surprises #12 - Cake

Twelve months. Can you believe it? This is the twelfth month of Sourdough Surprises. I can't even believe it. I am amazed and impressed by all of the deliciousness that fellow sourdough enthusiasts around the world (around the world! how cool is that??) have shared with us over these months and can't wait to see the deliciousness that people post for this month's challenge.

Because this month we made cakes.

You'd be amazed how many amazing cake recipes there are out there incorporating sourdough. But for this challenge, I decided that I wanted to go chocolate.  I chose to go with King Arthur Flour's recipe, as they are usually completely dependable.

And this time was no different.  The recipe called for a thick starter to be mixed into a grainy batter, yet somehow, it all incorporates and becomes a smooth, delicious looking cake batter.

Even more impressive is how this batter baked up - whoa!

To put these layers together, I used a vegan chocolate ganache-style frosting.

And as frosting? Cool Whip. Because... why not?

The results were delicious. The cake was moist and rich and chocolate-y. The ganache filling was only okay - I don't think I'll be repeating it, but the cake? An absolute keeper.

And it tasted even better the second day.

What a way to celebrate the completion of a year of sourdoughing. I can't wait to see (and taste!) what year two brings!

So what sourdough cake did you make? Link up and share your results! 

And if you haven't tried your hand at sourdough yet, what are you waiting for? You'll be amazed at what you can do with it!


Sourdough Chocolate Cake
(slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour)


1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (not Dutch process)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
2 large eggs

Combine the "fed" starter, milk, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. It won't necessarily bubble, but it may have expanded a bit.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan or two 9" circular pans.
In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cocoa and cinnamon. The mixture will be grainy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.
Gently combine the chocolate mixture with the starter-flour-milk mixture, stirring until smooth. This will be a gloppy process at first, but be patient and the batter will smooth out as you continue to beat gently.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s).
Bake the cake(s) for 30 to 40 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven, and set it on a rack to cool.
Fill and frost as desired.

Enjoy!