• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pinch My Salt

Food, Recipes, and Photography

  • About
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Recipe List
  • Store
  • The BBA Challenge

Pumpkin Maple Sourdough Cake

November 9, 2011 by Nicole 81 Comments

Sourdough Pumpkin-Maple Cake

I created this delicious pumpkin maple sourdough cake by replacing part of the flour and liquid in a simple pumpkin cake with sourdough starter. It’s a great way to use up sourdough discard from feeding your sourdough starter. You’ll find a printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

Welcome back to Doughvember! This week, Linda and I are giving away sourdough-related prizes, so keep reading if you’re interested in today’s giveaway. 

Have you had any sourdough adventures yet this month?  I’m saving my bread baking for the second half of the month, but this week I decided to experiment with using sourdough starter to replace part of the flour and water in a simple pumpkin maple sourdough cake.

The great thing about keeping a sourdough starter is that you can experiment with using it in all sorts of recipes. As long as you know the percentage of flour to water in your starter, it’s easy to figure out how much flour and liquid to replace in a recipe. 

I keep my sourdough starter at 100% hydration. That means that I feed it with equal parts flour and water (by weight). If you’ve followed my instructions for creating and maintaining a sourdough starter and have been feeding it with one cup of unbleached all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup water at a time, yours should be very close to 100% hydration because one cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water are close to the same weight (about 4 oz).

If you’re interested in keeping your starter at 100% hydration and you’d like to be exact, you should start weighing your ingredients when you feed your starter.

Maintaining a Sourdough Starter at 100% Hydration

In order to keep your starter healthy, you should be doubling the amount each time you feed it. Since you don’t want the starter to take over the kitchen, you need to use or discard a portion of the starter before feeding it. 

A good amount of sourdough starter to keep on hand at any one time is 16 ounces (which is about 2 cups by volume). To feed the starter by weight, measure out 8 ounces of your starter and use or discard the rest. Feed the 8 ounces of sourdough starter with 4 ounces of flour and 4 ounces of filtered water (water should be at room temperature or lukewarm – never hot to the touch). 

Now you have doubled the amount of starter and you’re keeping it at 100% hydration. If you need to increase your amount of starter for a recipe, just keep doubling the amount until you have what you need for the recipe (plus extra to keep on hand). If you’d like to keep a smaller or larger amount on hand, that’s fine, too. Just remember to always double the amount (by weight) when feeding.

Using Sourdough Starter in Recipes

By keeping your starter at 100% hydration, you know that it is always half water and half flour by weight. So 8 ounces of 100% hydration sourdough starter is always equal to 4 ounces of flour and 4 ounces of water. This makes it fairly easy to use discarded sourdough starter in any recipe that uses flour and liquid, especially quick breads. 

For example, If you want to use one cup of sourdough starter in a muffin or quick bread recipe, you just need to remember that you’ll be replacing 4 ounces of flour (about 1 cup by volume) and 4 ounces of liquid (1/2 cup by volume) in the recipe. 

Of course it’s not exactly that simple. Sourdough starter is acidic, so if you want to swap it in without changing any of the leavening amounts, it works best in recipes that would normally have an acidic liquid like buttermilk.  But don’t let any of this scare you. Experiment and have fun!

One thing to keep in mind is that when using sourdough starter in a quick bread or cake recipe, it’s not necessarily going to make your baked goods taste like sourdough bread. 

The “sour” flavor in sourdough bread is developed over the long, slow fermentation times that most of those breads require. In quick breads, the starter will add an extra bit of flavor and the texture will be a bit different, but it’s usually very subtle.

On to the pumpkin cake. Since I’m still trying to avoid refined sweeteners as much as I can and because I thought it would be a great flavor combination, I used maple syrup in place of sugar to sweeten this cake. 

As cakes go, it’s not especially sweet, but after sampling a few slices Phil and I both decided that it was just sweet enough. If you’d like to increase the dessert factor of this cake, a smear of cream cheese frosting would be just perfect.

Doughvember Roundup

Now I’d like to share a few of my favorite things I’ve seen around the web so far this Doughvember.

Sourdough Beef Wellington

Linda, my partner in sourdough this month, has created yet another Doughvember masterpiece. She wrapped a seared beef tenderloin with comte cheese and sourdough and then baked the whole thing.

She then served the Sourdough-Comte Beef Wellington with Port-Fig Compound Butter.  Head over to Salty Seattle for the recipe and another chance to win a Mavea filtered water pitcher (remember, sourdough starters prefer filtered water).

Sourdough Brioche from Tartine Bread

Sara from Three Clever Sisters decided to combine her loves of sourdough and brioche by making this beautiful Sourdough Brioche using the formula found in Tartine Bread (a book that is on my Christmas wish list).

Framed Sourdough Arrangement

Kerrie from Serves Four has been keeping us updated on her sourdough baking via Instagram and I love this photo arrangement she created that shows her process of baking a gorgeous loaf of sourdough bread.

Cabbage Sourdough Starter

Brandon from Kitchen Konfidence has been writing about his adventures in creating a sourdough starter from scratch using a slightly different method than the one I’ve written about here. 

His starter begins with whole wheat flour, water, and a red cabbage leaf. It might sound strange, but it’s actually a great way to get a sourdough culture started, especially if you’ve had trouble getting one going in the past. The white film that is usually visible on red cabbage (and on grapes) is actually wild yeast.  Check out his progress on Kitchen Konfidence.

Dried Sourdough Starter

And finally, here’s a photo of what I’ve been up to with my sourdough starter lately. I dehydrated a bunch of it to take with me to the International Food Blogger’s Conference in Santa Monica this weekend. 

I powdered it and divided it into 20 packets to hand out to anyone who wants one. If you’ll be at the conference and are interested in some starter (plus instructions for bringing it back to life), find me! 

If you’re interested in dehydrating some of your own starter for long-term storage or for mailing to friends, you can find good instructions at Chocolate & Zucchini.

We have been following and communicating with the growing community of Doughvember bakers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  If you’re talking about sourdough on twitter and/or posting photos of your creations on Instagram this month, please use the hashtag #Doughvember so we can all see what you’re up to. 

If you write a blog post this month featuring sourdough, send Linda or I the link (or post it in a comment). I’ll continue sharing links and photos throughout the month and we’ll hopefully come up with a big Doughvember roundup at the end of the month.

If you’d like to create your own sourdough starter from scratch and play along with us, you can find detailed instructions here.

Pumpkin Maple Sourdough Cake | pinchmysalt.com

Pumpkin Maple Sourdough Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup pumpkin or squash puree (canned or homemade)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup "fed" 100% hydration sourdough starter
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • heaping 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and move rack to center position. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan (or coat with baking spray).
  2. Start with all ingredients at room temperature. In a mixing bowl, whisk together squash puree, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.
  3. Fold sourdough starter into squash mixture until well combined.
  4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  5. Add dry ingredients to squash mixture and stir just until incorporated. Stir in melted butter.
  6. Pour batter into the greased 8-inch round cake pan.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 189mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 5g
© Nicole Cross

Filed Under: Adventures in Baking, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Doughvember

Previous Post: « Welcome to Doughvember
Next Post: Favorite Recipes of 2011 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. cindy says

    November 10, 2011 at 7:12 am

    Love anything pumpkin! will have to try this. thanks Cindy
    Reply
  2. Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says

    November 10, 2011 at 8:12 am

    Thanks for the mention Nicole! This cake looks sooo good by the way :)
    Reply
  3. Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says

    November 10, 2011 at 8:12 am

    PS. I like Pinch My Salt on Facebook.
    Reply
  4. Sara says

    November 10, 2011 at 8:58 am

    How informative about adapting for sourdough in recipes. I love the idea of using discard for something, not just trashing it, but never made the mental effort to figure it out. Good pointer to keep in mind re the acidity. Probably requires a little swapping in and out of baking soda for baking powder too.
    Reply
  5. Steph says

    November 10, 2011 at 9:23 am

    What a GREAT giveaway!! My husband and I have been reviewing (on our own...) different water filtration systems so we can stop buying bottled water, and be assured of the quality of water we are drinking. This would be AWESOME!! Not only that, but Jack the goldfish would appreciate the filtered water too...
    Reply
  6. Ruby says

    November 10, 2011 at 9:24 am

    Wow, this cake looks really really good!
    Reply
  7. Kristy Lynn @ Gastronomical Sovereignty says

    November 10, 2011 at 9:30 am

    bring on the pumpkin! i don't care what anyone says - pumpkin's in season and I. Want. More!
    Reply
  8. Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday says

    November 10, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    I have made sourdough chocolate cake before that turned out fantastic. I can't wait to try sourdough pumpkin cake too!
    Reply
  9. ddemos says

    November 10, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    I liked pinch my salt on FB...love this cake and the giveaway!!
    Reply
  10. ddemos says

    November 10, 2011 at 2:17 pm

    liked POS on fb...love the cake~
    Reply
  11. Michelle says

    November 10, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    Love this post! Perfect for Autumn.
    Reply
  12. Samantha says

    November 10, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    Oh thank you for this post!! I have had my sourdough starter for more than 10 years and have made countless loases but I have always wanted to use it for other things. Thank you for the concise and simple formula on how to use it in recipes. I'm very excited..I've decided to feed 'henrietta' and start experimenting soon. Thanks again!
    Reply
  13. Julie @BananasForBourbon says

    November 10, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    Great post! I know I've already bugged you for a lot of that info on facebook already, but it's all great info! Unfortunately, I've been crazy busy and haven't had a chance to try much of anything yet with my starter. But I'm hoping to try some bread this weekend. And definitely this cake! Sounds fantastic. :)
    Reply
  14. Heather H says

    November 10, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    I've been making sourdough bread and other goodies for about 5 years now. I can't wait to try some of your sourdough recipes. Thank you.
    Reply
  15. LaJuana says

    November 10, 2011 at 6:27 pm

    Have been a fan of your site for a while and followed you on Twitter for a while, decided to look you up on FB and you know I "LIKE"' you there too now! :)
    Reply
  16. LaJuana says

    November 10, 2011 at 6:30 pm

    I now LIKE Maevea too! Love the looks of that pitcher, love filtered water but tired of looking at my Britta!
    Reply
  17. Ally- A Girl & Her Fork says

    November 10, 2011 at 9:39 pm

    Wow, that bread looks delicious...perfect for the cold weather that's kicked in. Can't wiat to try out the recipe. Mmm,yummy!
    Reply
  18. Ally- A Girl & Her Fork says

    November 10, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    I also like you on FB ;) How could one not!
    Reply
  19. kriswithmany says

    November 11, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    We filter all our drinking/cooking water! I wonder how this filter compares to our PUR.
    Reply
  20. kriswithmany says

    November 11, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    Liked you on Facebook. :)
    Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Posts by Category

Copyright © 2021 · Privacy · Terms and Conditions