Fresh Strawberry Sourdough Sheet Cake (with Discard)
Plush, tender and overflowing with jammy pockets of berries, this old-fashioned strawberry sourdough discard sheet cake is perfect for celebrating longer days and lighter moods.
A vanilla-infused, tangy batter is topped with a generous layer of fresh strawberries and sprinkle of sugar. As it bakes, the batter rises to envelop the fruit—some berries sink and create moist, fruity pockets, others roast into soft, jammy bites on top. All are equally irresistible.
It’s the kind of cake that feels like it belongs to a slower time—when cake was still about taste and texture, not competing in a decorating contest with the internet.
Why I love Old-fashioned Strawberry Cakes The Best
This cake is a sourdough spin-off of my favorite Smitten Kitchen Summer Strawberry Cake—the one I baked for years, before I learned how to put my discard to good use. The base is plush, moist, perfectly sweet, and vanilla-scented. It rises in the oven, enveloping (and often swallowing) ripe summer strawberries. Of course, I couldn’t resist sneaking in some sourdough discard to make it even better. It’s still a timeless classic—just with a tangy, no-waste twist!
Berry studded, fruit forward desserts are my favorite way to enjoy summer baking. As the temperatures rise, I prefer treats that don’t weigh me down or make me feel sticky. Bonus: the batter comes together super quick and you don’t have to spend time frosting, decorating, or otherwise enhancing what’s already perfect.
Go live your best summer life instead!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Sourdough discard: Use discard that’s less than a week old for a balanced tang. If your discard is very sour, try resetting it with my Discard Reset Method! For a milder sourdough flavor, you can use active starter, but be sure to weigh it, as active starter and discard differ in volume.
Vanilla sugar: No vanilla sugar in your part of the world? Rub the seeds from half a vanilla bean into one to two tablespoons of sugar with your fingertips, or just use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste instead.
Strawberries: This recipe is a good opportunity to put even slightly overripe strawberries to good use. Sprinkled heavily with sugar before baking, they bake into delicious, jammy pockets!
Tools You May Need
9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan: This is sometimes a quarter sheet in the U.S. If that size pan isn’t standard where you live, use any similar size rectangular pan— just avoid going smaller, as the batter fills the pan completely as written already.
Stand mixer or hand mixer: For creaming butter, sugar and eggs, that yield a plush, tender cake.
Silicone spatula or small palette (optional): For leveling the cake batter in the pan. But you can totally use the back of a spoon instead.
How to Make an Old-fashioned Strawberry Sourdough Sheet Cake (Step-by-Step)
01
Wash, hull and halve your strawberries. Set aside two tablespoons of the sugar.
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F), grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and line the bottom with baking paper (optional).
02
In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla sugar (if using) until pale and fluffy.
Add sourdough discard (and vanilla extract, if using) and mix until combined. Add eggs one at a time and mix well, until light and fluffy.
03
Add half the milk and mix until just combined. Then add half the flour and mix again. Repeat with the remaining milk and flour. The batter should be thick, smooth, and glossy.
04
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
Top with the strawberries—cut side down—as snug as you can fit them. Sprinkle evenly with the leftover 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for 45-48 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out free of batter. Let cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Tips
- The batter might look gritty after adding the milk—keep going, it’ll smooth out once the flour is added!
- Let the cake cool and sit for at least a couple of hours or overnight, if you can. It helps to marry the flavours of the vanilla batter and the juicy strawberries better. Don’t wrap the cake in foil; let it breathe so that it doesn’t get soggy. (I usually cover it loosely with parchment to keep out fruit flies.)
Variations
- Expand the season: This is also wonderful with mixed berries in late summer, or with a mix of rhubarb and strawberries in early summer.
- Whole grain cake: I’m currently working on a fresh flour version of this cake—stay tuned, I’ll let you know!
How to Serve a Classic Strawberry Sourdough Discard Sheet Cake
If you want to dress up this cake—even though it’s totally bohème to present it solo—you can’t go wrong with the following:
- A light dusting of powdered sugar: Reserve this for right before serving. The powdered sugar will just seep into the moist strawberries and disappear otherwise.
- Whipped cream: I prefer it plain or only lightly sweetened.
- Maple sweetened Greek Yogurt: If you’re looking for an excuse to eat cake for breakfast—this is it! My go-to move for turning sweets into breakfast is mixing half full-fat, half low-fat Greek yogurt (or German quark) and adding a little maple syrup. It ups the protein and makes it feel like a complete meal.
How to Store Strawberry Discard Sheet Cake
If you make this Strawberry Sourdough Sheet Cake…
I’d love to hear how it turned out! Did your berries sink or swim?
P.S. If you’re into seasonal sourdough desserts, you might love these recipes too:
happy baking!
Fresh Strawberry Sourdough Sheet Cake (with Discard)
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 125 g butter (room temperature) - 9 tbsp
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 200 g raw cane sugar, divided - 1 cup
- 2 large eggs
- 120 g sourdough discard - ½ cup
- 115 ml whole milk - ½ cup
- 2¼ tsp baking powder
- 260 g all-purpose/plain flour - 2 cups
- 680 g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved - 1½ lbs.
Instructions
- Prep: Wash, hull, and halve strawberries. Set aside 2 tbsp of the sugar. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) pan and line the bottom with parchment (optional).
- Mix Batter: Whisk together flour and baking powder. In another bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla sugar (if using) until pale and fluffy. Add discard and vanilla extract (if using), then beat in eggs one at a time.
- Combine: Add half the milk and mix gently. Add half the flour and mix. Repeat with remaining milk and flour. Batter should be thick and smooth.
- Assemble & Bake: Spread batter evenly into the pan. Top with strawberries (cut side down), fitting them snugly. Sprinkle with reserved sugar. Bake for 45–48 minutes, until golden and a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Notes
Recipe Notes
- The batter may look slightly gritty after the milk—don’t worry, it smooths out once flour is added.
- Let the cake cool completely, preferably overnight, for the best texture and flavor.
- Store loosely covered at room temp for 1 day, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Variations
- Use a mix of berries in late summer or combine rhubarb + strawberries in early summer.
Recipe FAQs
