Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

Sourdough vanilla cupcakes are a family favorite for any festivity. Combine sourdough starter, milk, flour, lemon, maple syrup, and a few other ingredients to make these easy homemade cupcakes. 

Sourdough vanilla cupcakes are a family favorite for any festivity. Combine sourdough starter, milk, flour, lemon, maple syrup, and a few other ingredients to make these easy homemade cupcakes. 

A Fun and Healthy Dessert Idea

As a mom, it is always so much fun to indulge in parties, holidays, and everything with the kids. But sometimes the sugar can just be a bit much. 

Valentine’s day came around this year for us and it was so many candies and chocolates (not the healthy kind) that I realized I needed to make some homemade treats to share so I could feel more comfortable with my kids enjoying them. 

These sourdough vanilla cupcake are a variation on my sourdough chocolate cupcakes. With sourdough starter, just a little sugar, and flavor enhancers like lemon and maple syrup, these are a delicious and {somewhat} healthy dessert. 

I hope you and your family get as much enjoyment out of these as we do! 

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More Dessert Recipes from the Homestead

Sourdough Sugar Cookies with Einkorn Flour

Double Chocolate Sourdough Einkorn Cranberry Brownies

Einkorn Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Einkorn Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tips for Making Homemade Sourdough Cupcakes

Start your sourdough cupcakes the day before you want to bake them. I find it’s easiest to create a baking schedule (like the one below):

Day 1 (morning): feed the starter

Dat 1 (evening): make the levain, let it sit out overnight

Day 2 (morning): make the dough and bake

Day 2 (later morning/afternoon): frost and enjoy!

Use this sourdough cupcake recipe for all your special events like birthdays, holidays, or just a fun rainy day activity. Making homemade dessert with good ingredients takes the guilt out of enjoying a sugary treat. 

You do not have to long ferment these sourdough vanilla cupcakes! Instead, just use sourdough discard. Skip the step of feeding your starter and letting it sit out. Just dive right into the recipe with discard you’ll be good to go. 

Be sure to frost the cupcakes after they’ve cooled! We love a good homemade cream cheese frosting like this in this recipe, or try our favorite buttercream frosting from this recipe.

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New to Sourdough?

You can learn how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch to make homemade bread, sourdough pizza, bagels, and more. 

Put all your sourdough recipes in one spot! 

Download and print off this NEW sourdough recipes ebook and keep your favorite sourdough recipes on your counter for easy, every day cooking. 

Tools Needed 

Medium to large size mixing bowl, stand up mixer, or handheld mixer

Measuring cups and measuring spoons

Cupcake Baking Tray 

Cupcake liners 

Ingredients

(Makes 12-18 cupcakes)

SOURDOUGH LEVAIN

1/2 cup fed active starter (or discard if you are not long fermenting) 

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup flour

CUPCAKE MIXTURE

1 egg plus 2 egg whites

1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tbsp vanilla extract

Zest from 1 lemon

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

FROSTING 

1 package of 8 oz cream cheese at room temp

2 tbsp butter at room temp

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup powdered sugar

milk, 1 tablespoon at a time (as needed)

Dragonfruit powder (optional – to make pink frosting!) 

Naturally colored sprinkles (optional, for decoration) 

Can you use sourdough discard to make sourdough cupcakes?

Yes, you can skip the long fermentation and just use discard and these sourdough cupcakes will come out just fine. We like to long ferment for the extra health benefits. 

Sample Baker’s Timeline (if long fermenting) 

Day 1 (morning): feed the starter

Dat 1 (evening): make the levain, let it sit out overnight

Day 2 (morning): make the dough and bake

Day 2 (later morning/afternoon): frost and enjoy!

How to Make Sourdough Vanilla Cupcakes

THE DAY BEFORE (skip this part if using discard):

For long-fermented cupcakes, feed the sourdough starter in the morning (skip this step if using sourdough discard). Let it sit out on your countertop until it’s active and bubbly, about 6 hours.

In the evening, prepare the levain. Combine the active starter (you know the starter is active when a spoonful floats in water), and milk and whisk with a fork.

Add the flour in with your hands until a dough is formed (it will be sticky).

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave on the countertop over night. 

THE DAY OF:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a cupcake sheet with cupcake liners. 

In a large mixer add the eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, coca powder, maple syrup and coconut sugar. Mix until combined.

Next add the salt and baking soda and mix until combined.

Lastly add the levain from the day before (if using discard, add the levain ingredients here). It’ll be thick, so first mix on low for two minutes to break up the dough, followed by mixing on medium high until fully blended.

Pour the cupcake mixture into the cupcake tray.

Bake cupcakes for 15 min or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

For the frosting, let the cupcakes cool completely. Then, add the frosting ingredients to a stand up mixer or a bowl with hand beaters. Add just 1 tablespoon of milk to start and mix on medium for several minutes until desired consistency is reached. You can add more milk if you need it to be creamier. Frost the cupcakes as desired. I like to add dragonfruit powder to make it pink, or our favorite non-toxic sprinkles!  

More Sourdough Dessert Recipes from the Homestead

Einkorn Sourdough Crepes

Homemade Sourdough Bagels

Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Einkorn Sourdough Banana Bread

Sourdough Cheddar Biscuits

FAQs:

Are sourdough cupcakes sour?

Long fermenting sourdough cupcakes gives them a nice, subtle sour flavor. To omit the sour flavor, you can shorten the fermentation time and make sourdough cupcakes with sourdough discard.

Can I freeze these cupcakes?

Yes, you can freeze sourdough cupcakes. If freezing, I recommend a buttercream frosting since that will defrost better. Or, just freeze the cupcake and add the frosting when ready to serve.

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