Sourdough CAKE? Hmm...I found this unique recipe in The Joy of Cooking when I was looking for a way to use up some of my sourdough starter. You can only make so many loaves of sourdough bread before you start looking for other things to do with your starter.
This cake is dense and slightly chewy, with a slight tang underlying the chocolate flavor. It is not as sweet as many other chocolate cakes, which makes it more geared toward adult taste buds. You can add sweetness by frosting it with a rich chocolate ganache or butter frosting, or just sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
If you do not have Sourdough starter already, this recipe doesn't really justify starting one (but Sourdough bread does!) However, if you are already a Sourdough Bread baker and have starter on hand, this is a really interesting way to use some of it up.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or line with parchment) one 9"square cake pan. For a layer cake, prepare two 8" round pans or three 6" round pans.
1 3/4 Cups sifted all-purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Cup Sourdough Starter
3/4 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Sift all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In an electric mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on low until combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat for one minute until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat until just combined. Add the sourdough starter and beat on low until combined. Scrape the bowl down. Mix the vanilla into the milk and then add into the batter alternating with the flour mixture. When all the flour and liquid is incorporated, beat for another 30 seconds or so, until well-mixed.
Pour batter into the pans and bake at 350 degrees. Three 6" rounds will take 20-25 minutes; two 8" rounds will take 25-30 minutes; a thick square cake will be 35-40 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back when touched in the center, or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with frosting of your choice. I used Sinful Chocolate Buttercream.
The description of how it tastes makes me wish you could send me a piece in the mail...Looks Great!
ReplyDeleteI baked this cake a few days ago, for my husband's birthday. I used a home made red berries frosting and the association was delightful! A huge success! :-)
ReplyDeleteAt what point do you mix in the flour/cocoa mixture? Your instructions do not say.
ReplyDeleteMix the flour into the batter alternating with the milk (add some flour, then some milk, then some flour, and so on). Thank you gor bringing this to my attention, I will correct the recipe to include this!
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