Indulging in a delicious slice of cake does not need to be a guilty pleasure, especially when it comes to a wholesome option like strawberry sourdough cake. As a devoted follower of the Weston A. Price Foundation’s dietary principles, I’ve crafted a delightful twist on the classic. By starting the batter the night before, you will allow the fermentation process to begin, transforming the grains into a more digestible form, while reducing phytic acid that inhibits nutrient absorption. This not only elevates the flavor but also enriches the nutritional profile of this beloved treat.
I always joke that Jo is Justin’s little girl, but she has got something from me: my love of strawberry cake! Once I started having kids though, I began to worry about the refined sugar, white flour, and red dye that went into many cake mixes. But thank goodness for sourdough and strawberries to make a delicious dessert! Join me on one of my culinary adventures as we make this cake together!
This cake is perfect for when the weather is warmer and you’ve got fresh berries hanging around. However, I have not noticed the slight tang that normally comes with sourdough recipes.
Since the entire family was sick on Jo’s actual birthday, we had to push back her party. But fortunately for her, I had already prepped the cake so she got to have a strawberry sourdough cake not once, but twice this year. This cake is light and fluffy with a hint of sourdough twang. I will admit, making the buttercream was a bit of a nail biter for me, but it was eaten to the last bite so I’m going to say it was a win. Next time I make this, I may try to make them into sourdough strawberry muffins! This would also be a good idea for a little one’s smash cake.
Tips for making this strawberry sourdough cake recipe
- Ferment your batter at room temperature if you’d like the health benefits. You can make this cake without allowing the batter to sit. Allowing it to sit will help to decrease phytic acid, an anti-nutrient, and make your cake more digestable. Just cover your flour mixture with plastic wrap as it sits overnight so it does not dry out
- Did you know baking soda and baking powder lose their effectiveness? They do! Once they’ve been open for 2-3 years they can be less effective. Just keep that in mind with this recipe.
- Feel free to use fresh strawberries. Just make sure to chop them into small pieces and keep as much of the juice as you can!
- If you have leftovers, just throw it into an airtight container.
- You could also dust this with some powdered sugar and top it with some fresh lemon zest for a strawberry-lemon spin!
- To help with sticking, I put my cake pan on a piece of parchment paper and outlined the bottom. Then I cut the circle and put it in my oiled pan and had a better time with it not sticking.
- To make the cake pieces sit on top of one another, take a long bread knife and cut off the “hump” on that forms on the cakes as it bakes.
Ingredients to make a Strawberry Sourdough Cake
- Organic Frozen Strawberries – If you have warm weather and it is strawberry season, go for fresh fruit! Even better, you could ice the cake then top it with ripe strawberries. I personally think the strawberries is one of the best things about this recipe!
- Sourdough starter discard – Another great discard recipe! But you can use active sourdough starter if you need to.
- Flour – I haven’t used freshly milled, just all purpose flour. I like to use King Arthur flour or Azure Standard.
- Large Eggs – We prefer getting some from a local farm and pasture raised.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds to the sweet flavor!
- Butter and Coconut Oil- I use homemade, unsalted butter but salted would probably be fine too. These helps to give it it’s light flavor.
- Sucanat – This is a less processed version of sugar. But if you don’t have any, you can swap for 2 c sugar.
- Whole milk
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder – These help to make the cake light and fluffy! Make sure your’s is not too old.
- Salt – I use Celtic Salt or Redmond Real Salt
Special Equipment
- Cake Pans – I only have one 9 inch cake pan, but if you have 2 cake pans that will make baking these easier and less time.
- Wire Rack – To allow your cake pieces to cool off on
- Stand or Hand Mixer – Allows you to mix everything more easily.
- Large mixing bowl – To mix ingredients in then add if needed
How to Make a Sourdough Strawberry Cake
- If you are fermenting overnight, place your sourdough discard in the bowl of a stand mixer (if you’re using one), mix flour, butter, coconut oil, and milk into it. Allow to sit overnight overnight in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- The next day, preheat your oven to 350*F. Add the rest of your dry ingredients together with your the loose ball of sourdough, and mix together.
- Then add your wet ingredients and mix on medium speed.
- Mix until the lumps are all out. You may need to use your whisk attachment to get the lumps out.
- Oil your cake pan and if you’re using parchment paper, cut it out and place it in your cake pan.
- Split your cake batter in half and add half to each cake pan.
- Bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your cake batter.
Strawberry Sourdough Cake
This strawberry sourdough cake is light and fluffy and made with real strawberries! No artifical food dyes or colorings. Top with your favorite icing recipe.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup frozen, organic strawberries (thawed)
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup sourdough starter, discard
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 cups sucanat (or sugar)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
Instructions
- If long fermenting, mix flour, starter, melted oil, softened butter and milk (or water if you feel more comfortable with that). Allow to sit and ferment for 8+ hours.
- Preheat the oven 350 and grease your cake pans.
- Mix all your dry ingredients together.
- Add your strawberries and butter to the mixture. If you're using a hand mixer or stand mixer, the strawberries mixer will break them up. But if you're mixing by hand, chop them up before hand and put the juice and berries into your batter.
- In a separate bowl, mix the rest of your wet ingredients together and then combine them with the dry.
- Mix until you get all the lumps out. (You may need your whisk attachment)
- Add half your strawberry sourdough cake batter to one pan and half to the other.
- Bake at 350 for 35-50 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean).
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes once it's out of the oven. Then place it on a wire rack to finish cooling before icing.
Notes
- If you use fresh strawberries, wash, hull, and chop them up as they'll be more sturdy than thawed berries.
Check out these other blog posts!
Leave a Reply