Easy Spiced Sourdough Apple Oat Cake Recipe

You will love this easy sourdough apple cake. Baked in a cast iron skillet and made with oat flour it is both rustic and delicious!

All the fall flavors come together in this delicious sourdough apple oat cake.

You might be wondering how this recipe came to be?

Well, I love anything sourdough and I really wanted to do something with oat flour. And then I had some less-than-perfect apples looking at me. So I experimented with combining all these ingredients and came up with this easy recipe.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

I mean, do you need a reason to love a cake?

But seriously, here are the main reasons to make and love this sourdough apple cake:

• You can use any apple you like! Of course, fresh apples are best. However, if you have some apples that aren’t that great for eating anymore, this cake is a great way to use them up.
• It is a sourdough recipe! I have really come to love sourdough cakes. Their flavor is just so much better, they are healthier, and they actually stay fresh longer!
• You can quickly throw this together or let it long-ferment to reap all the health benefits of sourdough
• And happens to be gluten-free which is great for people with gluten sensitivity.

What are the ingredients for the sourdough apple oat cake

You probably already have everything you need. If you don’t already have a sourdough starter, you can head to this tutorial that teaches you my super easy method.

• Apples: The best apples for this recipe such as granny smith apples or pink lady. But you can use any apple variety you have. I always love using heirloom apples or those that our neighbors give us for free.
• Oat flour: I find that using oat flour instead of wheat flour makes this cake taste a little homier. And it’s a refreshing alternative to most other recipes out there. It is also gluten-free which is great for anyone looking to avoid gluten.
• Butter: Of course, I love butter in this recipe for flavor and added moisture.
• Maple syrup: I love the deeper flavor of pure maple syrup versus regular sugar.
• Eggs: The eggs will help this cake stay together especially since I am not using wheat flour.
• Sourdough starter: You can use either your ripe active starter or your sourdough discard here.
• Spices: Cinnamon and ground nutmeg are my favorite for this fall cake

Useful tools and equipment

You will not need much. If you have some regular mixing bowls, a wire whisk, and a knife you’re good to go. While you can make this apple cake in any baking dish you like, I love making it in a cast iron skillet. That makes it look extra rustic.

How to make this sourdough apple oat cake | instructions:

Make the cake batter:

1. In a medium bowl combine the wet ingredients: melted butter, eggs, maple syrup, and sourdough starter. Stir well.
2. Add the dry ingredients: cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour. Mix to combine.
3. Optional: for proper fermentation, cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature for up to 8 hours.
4. If not fermenting, add baking powder to the batter. Set the batter aside.

Prepare the apples:

1. Peel (optional), core, and cut your apples into chunks or slices. Optional: add some lemon juice unless you have very tart apples.
2. Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
3. Melt some butter in a cast iron skillet.
4. Sautee the chopped apples until softened but not mushy.

Bake the cake:

1. Add the cake batter right on top of the apples. If you like, you can mix the diced apples with the batter a bit.
2. Bake at 350˚F for about 20 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown.

Substitutions and variations

• Apples: I love using whatever heirloom apples I can get my hands on. However, you can use any variety of apples for this recipe. If you have very sweet apples you might like to add some lemon juice. You can even great the apples or use apple butter.
• Flour: My preferred flour is oat flour. Again, that is a great option for anyone who wants to avoid gluten. In that case, simply use a GF sourdough starter. But you can use regular all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or any other flour you have at home.
• Butter: You can also use a neutral oil such as avocado oil or coconut oil (r canola oil) instead of butter.
• Maple syrup: Brown sugar would work really well in this recipe, too. In that case, you might have to decrease the amount of flour to get the same batter-like consistency.
• Baking powder: You can use ⅓ tsp of baking soda instead.
• Extra flavors: You can always add some vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, some lemon zest, or your favorite apple pie spices. Chopped walnuts will add some nutty flavor.
• Sourdough: If you have been following me, you might know that I use a very simple sourdough method. If you keep your sourdough starter on the counter, just know that this recipe produces delicious results whether you use an active sourdough starter or your sourdough starter discard.
• Baking dish: You can use any other baking dish you like. Simply grease it a little bit and pour the apples and batter directly into the prepared pan. You can also line your baking dish with parchment paper.
• Sourdough apple muffins: Instead of making one cake, simply bake it in a muffin pan.

How to serve

This recipe can be an easy dessert that only gets better if you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt. You can also serve it for breakfast and drizzle it with some extra maple syrup.

Make ahead of time?

As I find the case with most sourdough cake recipes, this one actually tastes better the next day. I just leave it out at room temperature until the next day.

But you can also cut it into pieces and store it in an airtight container for a few days.

If you want to keep it longer, I suggest freezing it.

Other apple recipes you might like

Easy Sourdough Lemon Cake

Sourdough Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

German Apple Strudel

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10.5″ Cast Iron Skillet

Oat flour

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

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