Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes {Discard Recipe}

Classic sourdough vanilla cupcakes are rich in flavor and tender in texture- the best cupcakes to whip up for your special occasion.

To make your own sourdough starter follow my easy, step-by-step guide here.

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FAQ for Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

Why Sourdough?

Digestibility + Probiotics

Sourdough is a fermented food. This means that it includes beneficial live cultures and wild yeasts. These yeasts allow the bread to rise as well as break down phytates in the wheat grain, making the flour more digestible and less inflammatory. 

Here is an excerpt from the book Real Food for Fertility by Lily Nichols RDN, CDE and Lisa Handrickson-Jack FAE, HRHP:

“In wheat, rye, and barley, the process of traditional sourdough fermentation reduces the level of the protein gluten as well as compounds called phytates, both of which can be irritating to the digestive tract and impair mineral absorption. Sourdough fermentation also changes the structure of starches and increases the levels of organic acids, which contributes to a lower glycemic index of the resulting bread (meaning that sourdough bread typically doesn’t spike your blood sugar as much as regular yeast bread).” pg. 82

• probiotics for gut health
• lower glycemic index
• improved digestibility of grains
• less inflammatory

By using the longer fermentation methods of sourdough baking, delicious baked goods, and breads can be a little more digestible, good for gut health, and have a lower glycemic index than other breads. 

Flavor 

Next to the delicious flavor, the nutritional benefits of sourdough make it a great grain option to be consuming above typical commercially produced breads.

Active Starter vs. Sourdough Discard

Active Sourdough Starter

An active sourdough starter is a fed starter that reaches its peak bubbliness and fermentation. You can tell a starter is active if it floats in water or has doubled in amount in the jar.

This is the perfect state of sourdough starter when making an artisan sourdough bread loaf or a recipe where you want a nice rise in your bread.

Sourdough Discard

From this point of peak rise of the sourdough starter, it starts to become less bubbly and die down a bit leaving sourdough discard. 

More Sourdough Discard Recipes:

Sourdough discard recipes are a great way to use up extra sourdough discard. 

For more delicious sourdough discard recipes, here are some of our favorites:

• ​Double Chocolate Sourdough Muffins
• Sourdough Maple Scones
• Sourdough Blueberry Scones
• ​Sourdough Discard Lemon Berry Muffins

​What if I don’t have buttermilk?

Buttermilk is a delicious addition to this classic recipe that really enhances the rich flavor and contributes to the moist crumb. 

If you do not have buttermilk on hand you can simply use regular whole milk or make homemade buttermilk with a few simple ingredients.

Making Homemade Buttermilk

​What you will need

• Whole milk
• ​Lemon juice (can also use white vinegar for the acid-base but I always opt for lemon juice)

1. ​First, add your milk to a small bowl.
2. Then, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. 
3. ​Mix together well.
4. After 10-15 minutes you will notice the milk has become more sour and slightly curdled. This is your buttermilk!
5. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Equipment for Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

• Large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer
• Hand mixer or stand mixer paddle attachment 
• Medium bowl
• Large sifter/sieve– using a sifter for the dry ingredients helps to break apart and clumps, add more air to the batter, which results in those beautiful bakery-style muffins we are looking for.
• Standard-sized large 12-cup muffin tin
• Muffin liners or parchment paper to make liners with – I love using tulip liners for a special look but any muffin liners will work. 
• Muffin scoop– 2oz. scoop, ice cream scooper, or spoon for scooping batter
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or tea towel
• Piping bag and tip- for icing
• Tall narrow glass jar- for filling piping bag easily

Making Tulip Paper Liners

These muffin liners are very cute and will give you a tulip-style bakery cupcake liner. 

1. Simply cut out your squares of parchment paper to a 5″x5″ dimension. 
2. Flip a jar upside down and center the parchment paper over the top of the jar. 
3. Press firmly around the crease as you make a cup over the bottom of the jar with the parchment paper.
4. Remove from the jar and place in your muffin tin.

Alternative Frosting Options + Garnishes

Frosting Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

Mascarpone Frosting (my favorite)

Mascarpone frosting has more of a light, airy, whipped cream texture yet a little more density to the frosting. This option is less sweet compared to buttercream and very similar to cream cheese frosting yet a little more airy.

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream cheese frosting is rich, decadent, and has a slight tang to it. This frosting pairs well with the depth of vanilla flavor in these classic sourdough vanilla cupcakes.

Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream frosting is a butter-based icing that is sweet, thick, and rich in flavor. This frosting is easy to make beautiful designs with because of the heavier texture and pairs wonderfully with this classic vanilla cupcake.

Garnishes for Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

For garnishing cupcakes you can really choose your own adventure!

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit is a great way to garnish vanilla cupcakes. Berries add a nice colorful touch and a burst of fresh fruit flavor that pairs well with mascarpone or cream cheese frosting.

Sprinkles

My children love sprinkles of any kind. I always opt for naturally dyed sprinkles or just plain clear sanding sugar sprinkles for garnishes to avoid unnecessary chemicals from artificial dyes.

Edible Decorations

My children love themed birthday treats so I will often garnish cakes with edible decorations. This last birthday, we went with these butterflies for my daughter.

Ingredients for Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

• Cake flour- alternatively all-purpose flour may be used.
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Sea salt
• Sourdough discard- for this recipe, either sourdough starter discard or active starter may be used. 
• Softened salted butter– add 1/4 tsp more salt if using unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Buttermilk- buttermilk enhances the rich flavor of these tender cupcakes. Alternatively, you can use regular whole milk.
• Egg yolks
• Egg whites
• Pure vanilla extract

Mascarpone Frosting (or frosting of choice)

• Mascarpone cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Heavy cream

Garnishes

Step-by-Step Instructions for Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

Creaming the liquid components

First, to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and sourdough starter on low speed.

With the stand mixer on low, cream one egg yolk at a time until just combined.

Next, mix in the egg whites and mix until well combined.

Finally, incorporate the buttermilk and vanilla into the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything mixes well.

Add the dry ingredients

Using a sifter, sift in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients.

Mix until well incorporated and no dry parts remain. There may be a few clumps from the buttermilk, this is fine. 

For long fermentation

For longer fermentation, cover the bowl with an airtight lid and place it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.

The next day (or when ready to bake)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners or generously butter the tin if you do not have paper liners available.

Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way (about 1/4 cup for standard cupcakes).

Bake

Place the cupcakes in the preheated oven and bake for 28-30 minutes (until a toothpick or baking tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a cupcake).

Once the cupcakes are baked through and golden brown on top, remove them from the oven to a wire cooling rack.

Cool

Allow the cupcakes to cool on the wire rack for 15 minutes.

Remove the cupcakes from the tin to fully cool on the cooling rack.

While the sourdough cupcakes are cooling, mix up your frosting.

Frosting Classic Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

For the Best Mascarpone Frosting:

To a large bowl, add the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, vanilla, and sifted powdered sugar.

Then, using the whisk attachment on an electric mixer, whisk ingredients at medium speed.

Continue whisking the icing until stiff peaks form.

After stiff peaks have formed, fill a piping bag to frost the cupcakes. 

A great way to do this is to attach the piping tip of your choice and line the inside of a narrow tall glass with the piping bag.

Flip the piping bag over the top of the glass for easy filling. 

Frost and Garnish Classic SourDough Vanilla Cupcakes

After the cupcakes have cooled, frost the tops and add garnishes of your choice.

For peak freshness, enjoy these cupcakes the same day as frosting. 

Storing Leftover Cupcakes & Frosting

Store extra cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Extra mascarpone icing can be stored in the refrigerator as well for 3-5 days or in the freezer in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Happy baking!

I’d love to know how you enjoyed this recipe!

Please leave a rating, review, and comment with your experience!