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Sourdough Lemon Bundt Cake

This pound cake is spring in a bundt form. It’s bright, buttery, and bursting with lemon, juicy raspberries, and creamy white chocolate chips folded right into the batter. And the best part? It uses sourdough discard—a delicious way to reduce waste while adding flavor and moisture to this sourdough lemon bundt cake!
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Prep Time 9 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 14 minutes
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose or cake flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp   baking soda
Lemon Sugar:
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tbl  lemon zest (from about 3 large lemons)
Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sourdough discard
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup   milk or buttermilk (room temperature)
  • Butter for greasing the pan
Mix-ins:
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 tbl  flour (for tossing berries and chips)
 Lemon Syrup:
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (use real lemons)
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
Cream Cheese Glaze:

Equipment

  • bundt cake pan
  • medium bowl 
  • Large mixing bowl 
  • lemon squeezer
  • zester
  • hand mixer
  • cake stand

Method
 

  1. 1. Prep your pan and preheat the oven.
    Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Generously butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan — get into all those curves and ridges if your pan has details! Flip the bundt pan upside down and pat it so the extra flour comes out. This step is key to a clean release.
  2. 2. Mix the dry ingredients.
    In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. 3. Make the lemon sugar.
    In a separate small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingertips — this releases the fragrant citrus oils and gives the cake a bright lemony base.
  4. 4. Cream the butter and lemon sugar.
    In a large bowl (or stand mixer), beat the softened butter until smooth and fluffy, about a minute. Add the lemon sugar and beat for another 2 minutes until pale and airy.
  5. 5. Add eggs and wet ingredients.
    Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Then mix in the sourdough discard and lemon juice until combined. Don’t worry if it looks a little curdled — it’ll smooth out once the dry ingredients go in.
  6. 6. Combine and fold in mix-ins.
    Add half the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low until just incorporated. Add the buttermilk and sour cream and mix until combined, then add the remaining dry ingredients and stir until smooth. In a small bowl, toss the raspberries and white chocolate chips with one tablespoon of flour—this helps prevent them from sinking. Gently fold them into the batter.
  7. 7. Fill and bake.
    Spoon the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If it starts browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil for the last 15 minutes.
While it bakes, make the lemon syrup:
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice, sugar, and zest. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. 8. Soak the cake.
    Once the cake is out of the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, poke small holes over the surface with a skewer or fork and slowly pour the warm syrup on top. Let it soak for 10–15 minutes more before inverting the cake onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
Make the glaze:
  1. Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until fluffy. Drizzle in heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired glaze consistency — thick but pourable.
    9. Glaze and serve.
    Drizzle the cream cheese glaze generously over the cooled cake. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish with lemon zest, fresh raspberries, or even a few extra white chocolate chips. This recipe makes the perfect sourdough bundt cake! Enjoy with a hot cup of tea 🙂