My beautiful friends, I have a feeling my bread baking is about to come roaring back to life the second Colorado stops pretending we’re living on the actual surface of the sun. Yours probably will too.

Right now, though? My sourdough starter has been hanging out in the refrigerator looking at me every time I open the door like, “So…are we ever going to do this again?”

Poor thing.

I hate neglecting my starter almost as much as I hate throwing any part of her away. It feels wrong somehow. Like tossing perfectly good potential into the trash.

So instead, we’re making cake.

Not a fancy, three-layer celebration cake that requires an engineering degree to frost. Nope. Today we’re making a buttery, cozy Sourdough Discard Strawberry Snack Cake that lets us use up our discard and enjoy every bite of summer.

Who’s winning?

We are.

This is exactly the kind of baking I want this time of year. Sweet, juicy strawberries. A sparkly sugar crust that gets just a little crisp in the oven. One bowl for the wet ingredients, one for the dry, one single layer, and absolutely zero pressure to make it look perfect.

Now, I know we’ve all been side-eyeing fresh produce a little lately thanks to that absolutely unhinged parasite making lettuce public enemy number one. The good news? These strawberries get baked, which means we can happily enjoy them wrapped up in buttery cake instead of worrying about what microscopic villain might be lurking in our salad.

Everybody wins.

Well…almost everybody.

Miss Ivy and her brother are still not officially on the Strawberry Fan Club committee. Maybe this cake will change their minds.

Maybe not.

Honestly? That’s fine. More cake for me.

Besides, it has strawberries and Greek yogurt in it, so I’m pretty sure breakfast is completely justified. I’m choosing to call it balance, and no one can convince me otherwise.

So grab that jar of sourdough discard that’s been patiently waiting in the fridge. Let’s make something cozy together.

I hope this cake reminds you that beautiful things don’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the best recipes come from simply looking in the refrigerator and asking, ‘What can I love instead of wasting today?’ That’s a pretty good philosophy for kitchens…and maybe for life too.

High Altitude Sourdough Discard Strawberry Snack Cake

High Altitude Sourdough Discard Strawberry Snack Cake is a simple, buttery one-layer cake topped with fresh strawberries and a sparkling sugar crust. It’s the perfect way to use sourdough discard while enjoying an easy summer dessert.

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Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Cake
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 1 teaspoon baking powder high altitude
– * Use 1½ teaspoons at sea level.*
– ¼ teaspoon salt
– 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
– 1 cup granulated sugar
– 1 large egg room temperature
– ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
– 200 grams sourdough discard room temperature
– 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
– 1 pound fresh strawberries halved
Topping
– 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
– Powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

Equipment
– 9-inch springform pan (preferred) or 9-inch cake pan
– Stand mixer or hand mixer
– Mixing bowls
– Rubber spatula

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray. If using a regular 9-inch cake pan, line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Beat in the egg and vanilla bean paste until combined.
Mix in the sour cream (or Greek yogurt) followed by the sourdough discard until smooth.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Arrange the strawberry halves, cut-side down, over the top of the batter. Don’t stress about making them perfect—the cake won’t mind.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the strawberries.
Bake for 60–65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing the springform ring or lifting the cake from the pan.
Dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

– At sea level, increase the baking powder to 1½ teaspoons.
– Room temperature discard mixes into the batter much more easily.
– Fresh strawberries work best for this recipe.
– Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
– Room temperature ingredients create the smoothest batter.
– The sugar sprinkled on top creates a delicate, crackly crust.
– This cake is wonderful slightly warm, at room temperature, or straight from the refrigerator the next morning with coffee.