Easy Saskatoon Berry Sourdough Cake Recipe
Saskatoon berry season inspired this delightful Saskatoon berry sourdough cake. This recipe offers the perfect balance between moist and fluffy textures, enhanced by the rich flavours of whole grain flour and sourdough starter. It’s a great way to use sourdough discard and is adaptable with various fruits. If you’re searching for a versatile sourdough fruit cake recipe, this one should definitely be in your recipe box.
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This sourdough cake is my go-to cake. It’s light, fruity, full of flavour, with a crispy top. You can make it with any kind of fruit but this version gives a great use for Saskatoon berries if they grow in abundance near you!
What Are Saskatoon Berries?
Saskatoon berries, also known as serviceberries, are small, dark purple berries that are native to North America, particularly thriving in the Canadian Prairies and parts of the U.S. They look like blueberries but have a unique, nutty flavour that’s slightly almond-like and less tart. These berries are not only delicious but also packed with nutrients, including high levels of fibre, protein, and antioxidants. Saskatoon berries are versatile in the kitchen, used in everything from pies and jams to savoury sauces and salads. Their unique flavour and health benefits make them a prized ingredient among foragers and chefs.
Benefits of Whole Grain Flour
Whole grain flour adds a deep nuttiness to your baked goods and has a number of health benefits. It is rich in vitamins and minerals which are usually lost in commercially processed grains. As stated in the name, whole grain flour contains the whole grain including the bran, germ, and endosperm.
These parts of the grain provide fibre and enzymes that contribute to a robust microbiome and aid digestion. Sourcing whole grain flour from a mill also means you’re typically getting a product that is free of preservatives or additives, offering a more wholesome ingredient for your recipes. Not to mention, working with whole grains is fun!
Each grain offers a different flavour profile, making a whole new product with each grain you experiment with.
Where To Find Whole Grain Flour
If you’re living in a city, you can mostly likely find a bakery or fancy grocery store that sells fresh-milled whole-grain flour. If you’re living in the country and you can source whole-grains, you may want to consider milling your own flour.
You can start without making a large investment by using a powerful coffee grinder or blender that you already own. A step up would be purchasing a KitchenAid grain mill attachment. If you’re really enjoying working with fresh-milled whole-grains and you have a reliable source of grain, you can also consider a Harvest NutriMill which is the one I use and love both for its beauty and practicality.
When you feel ready to invest in a NutriMill, use my discount code BRONSBREAD20 at checkout to get $20 off.
What Is Sourdough Discard?
Benefits of Long Fermentation
Fermenting grains may seem like an unnecessary step, especially when you need to get food out for hungry kids. However, doing so offers a number of health benefits and is the traditional way grains were prepared for optimizing their nourishment potential.
Fermentation breaks down anti-nutrients like phytic acid, which can inhibit the absorption of essential minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium. This process makes these nutrients more bioavailable. When you skip the fermentation step, phytic acid can bind to minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. This reduces the bioavailability of these essential nutrients and can potentially lead to deficiencies, especially in diets that rely heavily on grains and legumes.
The fermentation process also pre-digests grains, breaking down complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into simpler compounds. This can make fermented grains easier to digest and reduce the likelihood of bloating and indigestion. And for those sensitive to gluten, fermentation can partially break down gluten proteins, potentially making fermented grains more tolerable.
Not to mention, fermentation can improve the taste and texture of grains, making them more enjoyable to eat. The natural sourness from lactic acid bacteria can add a pleasant tang to fermented flour products. Overall, fermenting flour is the way to go, in my opinion. The health benefits and flavour boost the process offers outweighs the convenience of skipping long fermentation.
Materials You’ll Need
Medium-size Mixing Bowl: For mixing your batter.
Whisk (or a mixer with a whisk attachment): For whipping the wet ingredients.
Kitchen Scale or Measuring Cups: For weighing ingredients, I prefer a scale. But some beautiful measuring cups and spoons would also suffice.
Silicone Spatula: For folding the dry ingredients into the wet and spreading out the batter in the dish. Silicone spatulas are priceless in the kitchen.
9″ Pie Dish: For baking your cake in. I just like simple and versatile pyrex dishes, no fluff.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Whole Grain Flour: For the nuttiness and fibre. You can experiment with any whole grain you like, the amount is small enough that it won’t change the texture too much. Whole wheat is just fine.
White Flour: All purpose or cake flour for the sweetness and fluffy texture.
Nutmeg: For the depth of flavour.
Salt: To bring everything together.
Baking Powder: To help with the rise.
Butter: Butter makes everything better.
Sugar: Cane sugar, white sugar or brown sugar. You can experiment with less refined sugars like demerara or sucanat but the end result may be different.
Egg: A good ol’ large chicken egg. To help bind the batter and rise.
Sourdough Discard: Discard or active starter is fine. For the fermenting magic, tangy flavour, and hydration.
Yogurt: Preferably unflavoured but you could use vanilla yogurt and omit the vanilla extract. Yogurt adds some extra moisture and sweet tang.
Vanilla Extract: An essential ingredient to most baked goods.
Saskatoon Berries: The fruit for this particular cake but you can experiment with another fruit!
How To Make Saskatoon Berry Sourdough Cake
In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Mix in an egg, sourdough discard, yogurt, and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.
Add white flour, whole grain flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder, ensuring no clumps remain.
You can either let the batter ferment in the fridge overnight for enhanced flavor or proceed directly to baking.
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9″ pie dish with butter or lard and lightly flour it to create a non-stick surface.
Pour the batter into the prepared dish, spreading it evenly—patience helps as the batter will be thick.
Arrange Saskatoon berries on top of the batter and evenly sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the crust is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes. Optionally, dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Enjoy your delicious Saskatoon berry sourdough cake!
Notes
You can pre-sift the dry ingredients before adding to the wet. This ensures there are no clumps. I skip that step sometimes because I’m a dare devil.
Saskatoon Berry Sourdough Cake
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Butter (soft) 85g
- 1 Cup Sugar 200g
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Sourdough Discard 200g
- 1/4 Cup Yogurt 55g
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla 10g
- 3/4 Cup White Flour 100g
- 1/3 Cup Whole Grain Flour 50g
- 1½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Saskatoon Berries
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar. Whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in an egg, sourdough discard, yogurt, and vanilla until everything is well incorporated.
- Add white flour, whole grain flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder, ensuring no clumps remain.
- You can either let the batter ferment in the fridge overnight for enhanced flavour or proceed directly to baking.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9" pie dish with butter or lard and lightly flour it to create a non-stick surface.
- Pour the batter into the prepared dish, spreading it evenly—patience helps as the batter will be thick.
- Arrange Saskatoon berries on top of the batter and evenly sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for about 60 minutes, or until the crust is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes. Optionally, dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
- Enjoy your delicious Saskatoon berry sourdough cake!
Notes
Saskatoon Berry Sourdough Cake Video Tutorial
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