Sourdough Discard Mug Cake [quick sourdough recipe] (2024)

This quick and easy sourdough discard mug cake can be made in under 10 minutes. It's a sourdough microwave mini cake of sorts and is perfect for a fast dessert or even a little mid morning treat with hot coffee for us chocolate lovers!

A speedy take on sourdough chocolate cake, you can make this egg free sourdough starter discard mug cake using any milk you like (even plant based milk so you can make it vegan). It uses simple ingredients you're bound to have in your pantry to create a delicious dessert with the most amazing texture.

Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this sourdough mug cake recipe will become your go to way to use up your sourdough discard.

If you love quick sourdough recipes, you're going to love these no wait sourdough waffles and these chocolate chunk sourdough muffins. You might also like to peruse these 60+ sourdough discard recipes for even more inspiration.

Using Sourdough Discard in a Cake

This little sourdough mug cake utilises 40g of sourdough discard per serve. You can of course use active sourdough starter if you have a bit on hand (sometimes I do this if I have a bit leftover from making sourdough bread or sourdough pizza crust).

While this cake uses sourdough discard, you don't want to use sourdough discard that's been sitting around too long and is too sour as it will overpower the flavor of this chocolate cake. I recommend using "fresh" sourdough discard that hasn't been sitting more than 24 hours - but just give yours a sniff if it's a little older and judge it for yourself.

How To Make Sourdough Discard Mug Cake

This sourdough microwave mini cake could not be easier to pull together! You don't even need a bowl - you can mix it all in the mug (although if you are making two or more, I do find it easier to mix it in a bowl and then add the cake batter to the mugs before cooking).

I love that there are so many ways to personalise this easy recipe - from adding raspberry jam or peanut butter to stirring through white chocolate chips or even fresh raspberries. I've put some lovely recipe variations further down - there's sure to be one that takes your fancy!

I've used a 400ml or 13.5oz mug.

1. Add all the dry ingredients to your mug and mix until well combined.
   
2. Now add the milk, oil, sourdough starter and vanilla extract (if using) to the dry ingredients and mix really well until it forms a glossy cake batter. So you are adding all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
   
3. Add a teaspoon of peanut butter or raspberry jam to the top of the cake batter and push down until it's covered.
   
4. Place the mug in the microwave for 2 minutes on high power. The sourdough mug cake is done when the cake has risen and is firm to the touch. Please be careful as it will be extremely hot when taking out of the microwave.
   
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream or double cream.

Ingredient Notes

• All purpose flour works best in this recipe. You can substitute self rising flour if you wish (just leave out the baking powder if you do this or it will overflow in the microwave).
  
• You can use any type of sugar you like. I've used white granulated sugar in developing this recipe, but brown sugar, coconut sugar or even maple syrup works well.
  
• Unsweetened cocoa powder works best, but this recipe will also work with raw cacao or Dutch processed cocoa.
  
• I've used whole milk however this recipe works with any milk, including plant based milk. It's also egg free, so using plant based milk will give you a vegan sourdough mug cake.
  
• I've used vegetable oil in this recipe however you can use any light flavored oil you have on hand - just nothing with too strong a flavor or it will ruin the flavor of the cake. Coconut oil works really well with the chocolate flavors in this cake.

Flavor Variations for Sourdough Discard Mug Cake

Now this recipe tastes amazing as it is, however, there are lots of things you can add to it to make it taste next level good and enjoy it in different ways:

• A few tablespoons of chocolate chips (whether white chocolate, semi sweet - whatever you fancy). Just stir them in with the wet ingredients.
  
• For a take on a chocolate lava cake, push a few squares of your favorite chocolate into the centre of the cake batter before you cook it. This is a perfect Valentine's Day treat to share with the one you love.
  
• Use a teaspoon of your favorite flavor jam - raspberry, strawberry, blueberry all work really well.

• For a caramel twist, add some caramel sauce to the cake batter just before cooking or add a couple of caramel lollies and push them into the batter.
  
• Sprinkle the cooked cake with grated chocolate before enjoying.

Can You Store This Sourdough Mug Cake?

I recommend cooking and eating this sourdough mug cake straight away. The texture can become a bit stodgy if it's left and eaten later, so I don't recommend storing it to eat the next day. The small portions sizes mean it's the perfect size for dessert - with no leftovers or food waste.

Frequently Asked Questions