The alluring aromas of sweetness and lemon drew me to the empty kitchen. The oven was cooling and to the side rested a whisk and two mixing bowls, their rims painted with golden batter. Instinctively, I ran my finger across the counter the way a mother might inspect the cleanliness of a bedroom. Looking down, my finger was covered with white powder, and looking even closer, I noticed the counter held the silhouette of a dusted white ring.
On a plate nearby sat a freshly baked ciambella (cham-bel-uh)—a classic Italian cake similar to a pound cake. The pungent fragrance of lemon, the craggy crust, and the snow-mantled top wasn’t fancy or elaborate. Yet, the enticement of this simple cake was always impossible to ignore. Yes, the flavor and texture were sublime, but it was also the amazement that something so wonderful could be made from a few simple ingredients, without a recipe, and with hardly any effort.
Note: If you don’t have a sourdough starter, you can make this cake without one. See the note in the recipe. However, if you keep a sourdough starter discard cache in the refrigerator, you’ll always have some on hand!
A moment later, my nonna (grandmother) walked into the kitchen with her apron on, folded at the waist, her thick glasses dusted at the edges with powdered sugar, and said: “there’s ciambella there.” As if this magic of conjuring deliciousness from a little flour, a few eggs, a scoop of sugar, lemon, some berries if we had them (I’m imagining the strawberries from our strawberry shortcake recipe drizzled on top), and a splash of limoncello, sambuca, or Grand Marnier was nothing. She’d often whip this cake together without thought, squeezing the work (and lemons) between making other things in the kitchen.
Of course, my sourdough starter discard ciambella isn’t exactly like my nonna’s. She wasn’t a sourdough baker, so she didn’t have starter discard. And she never wrote anything down; I only remember a few scattered papers in the kitchen for obscure recipes she didn’t make often. So this is my version, recreated from the memory of her ciambella that I ate a million times.
The sourdough starter discard doesn’t bring any sourness to this classic cake, but I like including it because the mixture results in a tenderer crumb thanks to the well-fermented flour. Plus, it’s a way to use flour and water that would normally go into the compost. The overall flavor is sweet but not too sweet and decidedly lemony. The interior is very tender, and the crust—especially where it ruptures on the top so beautifully—has crispness, bringing structure to the cake. I sometimes serve it with a mix of berries, and a dollop of ricotta never hurts, though the cake certainly doesn’t need anything extra.
This sourdough starter discard cake is perfect when accompanying a breakfast cappuccino, to have as a snack after lunch, or to enjoy for dessert after dinner.
What is Ciambella?
Ciambella is an Italian cake often baked in a ring mold pan and typically prepared with flour, oil (sometimes butter), baking powder, milk, salt, sugar, and vanilla extract. Flavors include lemon, orange, cocoa, or anise. Ciambella is similar in taste and texture to an American pound cake, though it’s less sweet.
What is Sourdough Starter Discard?
Sourdough starter discard is ripe sourdough starter removed from a starter during daily feeding, when fresh flour and water are added to keep the naturally fermenting culture going. Though often thrown away, you can use discard to make other non-bread recipes. It’s a good way to use fermented flour that would otherwise go into the compost or trash, and it lends subtle sourness and tenderness to whatever it’s mixed into.
Sourdough Starter Discard Cake Tools
Traditionally, ciambella is made in a ring mold pan (tube pan). I’ve searched and searched and finally found the perfect ring mold pan that isn’t too tall (so it gets a nice color on top), wide, or with a center hole too large.
This 9.5-inch aluminum ring mold pan is ideal for making ciambella. Using this pan results in a cake with a tall rise thanks to even and efficient heating, and it cleans up easily.
If you don’t have a ring mold pan, you can use an angel food cake pan or any traditional bundt pan.
How to Make Ciambella, Step by Step
This is probably one of the easiest and most delicious cakes I make, and the fact that it’s a sourdough starter discard cake makes it even better. There’s no need for a stand mixer; you can mix this all by hand.
Preheat the oven with a rack in the middle to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch ring mold pan with neutral oil.
Then, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
NOTE: After feedback from several readers, I’ve adjusted the baking temperature down to 350°F (180°C) and recommend baking for a few minutes longer.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns slightly bubbly, 2 minutes.
Add the oil, milk, limoncello, sourdough starter, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until everything is combined and the mixture becomes frothy.
Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (avoid overmixing). Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on a sheet pan.
Bake until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula or knife to gently release the edges of the cake from the pan, turn the cake out onto a wire rack, and let cool. Once completely cool, dust the top with powdered sugar (if desired).
The cake will keep well for several days on the kitchen counter, covered.
Watch Me Make This Sourdough Starter Cake
Sourdough Starter Discard Cake Ciambella
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This sourdough starter discard cake is an Italian treat that’s made in minutes. Intensely lemony, a little sweet, and ultra-tender, it’s perfect any time.
Ingredients
- 177g neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or a very mild olive oil, plus more for greasing
- 423g all-purpose flour (Cairnspring Mills Edison All-Purpose Flour)
- 7g baking powder (1 ½ teaspoon)
- 3g fine sea salt (½ teaspoon)
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 232g granulated sugar (I like to use superfine sugar)
- 171g (3 large) eggs, at room temperature
- 211g whole milk
- 28g limoncello (2 tablespoons; see Note)
- 100g ripe sourdough starter (100% hydration) discard (see Note)
- 7g vanilla extract (1 ½ teaspoons)
- Powdered sugar, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven with a rack in the middle to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch ring mold pan with neutral oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns slightly bubbly, 2 minutes. Add the oil, milk, limoncello, sourdough starter, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously until everything is combined and the mixture becomes frothy. Add the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined (avoid overmixing). Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan on a sheet pan.
- Bake until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula or knife to gently release the edges of the cake from the pan, turn the cake out onto a wire rack, and let cool. Once completely cool, dust the top with powdered sugar (if desired). The cake will keep well for several days on the kitchen counter, covered.
Notes
To make this ciambella vegan, substitute the milk for a full-fat nut or oat milk, and instead of the eggs, use a “flax egg.”
The juice of 1 lemon can be used in place of the limoncello.
If you don’t have any sourdough starter discard, use 50g flour and 50g whole milk in its place.
Sambuca (anise-flavored) ciambella: Substitute the limoncello for 2 tablespoons of sambuca.
Orange ciambella: Substitute the lemon zest for the zest of 1 orange and the limoncello for Grand Marnier.
Poppyseed ciambella: Omit the vanilla extract. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients, and swap in the zest of 1 orange for the lemon zest.
Ciambella variations
This sourdough starter cake recipe can be the base for many variations in the same way a ciambella varies across Italy, taking on regional differences and adapting to what’s in season and the pantry. Here are a few of my favorites:
Sambuca (anise-flavored) ciambella
Substitute the limoncello for 2 tablespoons of sambuca.
Orange ciambella
Substitute the lemon zest for the zest of 1 orange and the limoncello for Grand Marnier.
Poppyseed ciambella
Omit the vanilla extract. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of poppy seeds to the dry ingredients, and swap in the zest of 1 orange for the lemon zest.
(And if you have leftover poppyseeds, use them and some lemon in our tangy lemon poppyseed loaf next!)
Sourdough Starter Discard Cake FAQs
What makes ciambella different from pound cake?
Typically, ciambella is typically made with oil instead of butter, the latter common in pound cakes. Additionally, the ratio of ingredients (fat to sugar to flour) is different: pound cake has equal parts of each, whereas ciambella typically has much less sugar (usually around 50% to total flour), fat (oil), and egg.
Do I need a ring mold pan to make ciambella?
If you don’t have a ring mold pan, use an angel food cake pan or classic bundt pan.
Can I leave out the alcohol in this ciambella?
Instead of using limoncello, use the juice of 1 lemon.
Why are room-temperature eggs used when baking cake?
Since this cake is mixed by hand with a whisk, using room-temperature eggs makes them easier to incorporate with the sugar and other ingredients. Additionally, room-temperature eggs will provide a little more rise to the cake versus cold eggs from the fridge, which are more viscous. To quickly warm eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl filled with warm water for 5 minutes.
Can I use a hand mixer instead of a whisk?
Yes. Instead of whisking the ingredients by hand, use a hand mixer (this is my favorite hand mixer) set to medium speed.
How do I store ciambella?
Ciambella will keep well in a sealed container for several days at room temperature, or for one week when refrigerated.
Can you freeze ciambella?
Yes, you can freeze ciambella for up to 3 months. Once the cake has fully cooled, cut it into sections, wrap each with plastic, and place the wrapped pieces inside a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Is ciambella a donut?
Technically, yes, it is a donut because it’s a ring-shaped cake that has a hole in the middle. However, the term donut in the United States typically refers to dough that’s been deep fried, whereas a ciambella is only baked.
What’s Next?
After making this sourdough starter discard cake, if you’re in the mood for even more cake, you’ll enjoy the rich flavor of this date and banana tea cake with whole grain spelt. Or another easy and delicious recipe using discard is my recipe for sourdough blueberry muffins and sourdough sugar cookies.
Look at all the sourdough starter discard recipes for more ways to use your discard each day.
Buon appetito!
140 Comments
This is a delightful snacking cake. Kind of dry, but tastes great. Might try with kefir or buttermilk instead of milk next time. I made it as written, with the limoncello and zest. Beautiful, like a giant donut. Served with blueberries and blood oranges.
Glad you like it, Robin! If it’s dry, you could try adding more milk or oil to help—strange because it’s not dry for me!
just made it, baked to fully done in 40m in bundt pan on sheet like recipe. the top looks beautiful just like your photo except it is quite pale and just a bit of browning around the cracks in the top and at the sides of the pan. Never had a bundt cake so pale. Is it the reduced sugar, maybe? Should I skip the sheet pan next time? Tempted to low broil it for a minute just for a quick “suntan”😄. Gas oven if that matters
He he. I would try baking at a hotter temp to start then turning it down midway!
Baked this today replace with orange zest and fresh orange juice.. nice hint of orange and not too sweet, love it!
Yes, I’ve done this too, Irene. So wonderful for the winter months! Enjoy 🙂
Just baked it today, and smells wonderfully, I did the orange version, orange zest and 50 g orange juice instead of limoncello. Divided the batter in two paper elongated moulds 25 cm long and baked for 10 min 200 degrees and 10 min 180 and 20 more at 160 (my oven is fan forced and it was getting too dark). Still cooling down.
Love these modifications, Emma! Also, great job adapting for your oven. Enjoy!
I have chosen the recipe to surprise my family and it turned out absolutely delicious!!!
I used poppyseeds and lemon juice and zest, coconut oil and bake at 180°C for about 55 minutes.
Thank you so much for this recipe and for many others that inspired me every day!
So glad this turned out well for you, love the substitutions. You’re welcome and enjoy!
You indicate 9.5 inch pan, but link goes to 8 inch pan. Which is correct?
They sold out of the 9.5″, Anne! The 8″ should still work, though I haven’t yet tested it!
Thanks so much for quick reply.
This looks delicious! I don’t have any sort of bundt pan, however…thoughts on making this in a pullman pan as a loaf cake? Would the recipe need to be reduced at all or the baking time adjusted?
I haven’t tried this Rachel, I’d need to test the amount of batter in there, this does rise quite high. If you try before me, please report back!
I follow the recipe almost exactly except replacing limoncello with lemon juice coz I don’t have any. And as what other commented that 220C is too high for baking a cake. I baked at 180C for 33 mins and the cake turned out so perfectly. It is so moist, so soft but not crumbly at all. Unlike using butter, the cake remains so soft even it served chilled. I put a dollop of cream on top which brings out the lemony taste even more. Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks for those comments, Steph! As others mention, I’m going to give it a try at 180C for 30-35 minutes and see how it goes. Enjoy!
Is it possible that the oven temp differences are down to altitude. You are somewhere between 5000 and 6000 feet. I am at sea level. Your fellow Yank, Mark Bittman, reckons you should oven 25 degrees F higher over 5,000 feet
Excellent cake! Lovely texture. I’m pretty much a 100% bread baker, so was very happy and proud to produce such a nice cake. Thank you, Maurizio!
So glad to hear you like this one!
I made this over the weekend. The flavor and texture were really good. However, I do believe the temperature was too high. The outside was over baked and the center was JUST done. I would make it again adding more lemon and taking the temp down significantly. Adding starter gave it great texture!
Super glad to hear you liked this one! I’m going to test this again (gosh, I’ve made it so many times 🙂) at 400F and see how it goes.
guessing why not substitute sourdough starter with 50gr flour and 50gr yogurt instead of flour+milk. Yogurt will have the acidity that sourdough starter has while milk is pretty…plain.
Agreed, and I’ve tried it, yogurt is a great option, too. Well, a typical ciambella doesn’t have starter or yogurt (I know some variants do, though) 😉
gonna try tonight, but… 220° sounds too high for a “ciambella”. In Italy there is great tradition for this cake and it is always baked at 180°…
Ciao, Rocco! Hope you like this one. I bake it for a shorter time at a higher temperature, 180C would work, but I’d imagine it’s baked longer! I’m curious how you like this if you give it a try as I discuss at 180C 🙂
This was so delicious and so easy! I can’t wait to try a blood orange variety
So glad you liked it, Sara!
I have made 2 of these ciambellas in the past 2 days and they turned out really good. I felt that I wanted more lemon flavor, so I cooked the lemon juice with some regular sugar. I poked holes all around the cake with a bamboo pick and brushed the cake with lots of this sweetened lemon juice. My husband and I concur that it made the cake even more moist and lemony tasting. I’m taking one down to visit my sister (we’re Italian) and she’s going to be so surprised at what can come of the sourdough discard.
Oh, I love adding that lemon “glaze,” great idea! I did this recently with another cake (lavender), I’ll give this a try. Thanks!
Ooh! Where is this lavender cake recipe pretty please?!
It was from The Simplicity of French Cakes by Crapanzano. Such a good book 🙂
It’s from The Simplicity of French Cakes, such a good book 🙂
Maurizio, it’s in the oven now for church! Batter tasted delicious! I’ll post a pic.
So glad you liked it, Kori! Enjoy 🙂
Maurizio, mine is in the oven now. I followed it exactly. Can’t wait to taste it! I’ve made it to take the church today! I’ll post a pic.
Hope everyone loves it, they might ask you to bring two next time 😉
If you are alcohol free, will the alcohol evaporate when cooked?
Alcohol cooks off, but you can use the juice of one yellow to switch out.
It will yes, but as Kori said, you can swap out the juice of one lemon instead.
How can I substitute the sugar; honey or maple surop?
I haven’t tried, I’d probably go maple syrup!
Would pastry flour work?
Yes, I’ve tested this with both pastry flour and cake flour. Pastry flour works really well for a tenderer cake. Cake flour was good, too, but less rise overall.
Came out great. Would post a pic if I could. Thx
I’ve finally moved from CA and I’m ready to start baking again. I first need to order your cookbook. Is this recipe in your book?
Hey, Judith! No, this cake isn’t in there (but, there are lots of other discard recipes like scones, an updated banana bread, etc.)!
This is soooooo good!!!! I made these into cupcakes to put in my kids’ lunches. The whole family loved them and I am planning to make this again as a bunt with option to top with fresh berries and whipped cream as a dinner party dessert. I love using my discard. I am new to the sourdough world, I bought your book and found your website after, and feel I must thank you, your recipes and detailed descriptions are amazing and have made every attempt so far a homerun! Cheers!
Ahh so glad to hear you guys all like this! I have to say, making this into muffins is brilliant. I’m trying this ASAP. Also, thank you for picking up my cookbook. Happy baking!
Would weight be the same if you substituted butter for oil? Does this change the cake too much?
That’s a great question. I haven’t done this yet since I have always made this with oil (like my grandmother did!). I need to give it a try and update the post. (If you try before I do, please report back!)
Can’t ait to try out this one ! Would It be possible to leave the batter to ferment for a few hours ? Would It be beneficial texture-wise or would that just increase the acidity ?
It’s funny because my family is Italian as well and we used to get “Ciambelle” when we went to the beach, they’re actual doughnuts though but made with potatoes in the dough which made them super soft !
Love the idea of adding potatoes. Each region in Italy seems to have their version—like every other food, and I love it. I haven’t tried letting this ferment, but you could definitely do that. The baking powder should still work in the oven after that time (if double-acting, which most are nowadays). If you try this before me, please let me know how it turns out!
What would I sub for the grand Marnier if I wanted to make it orange without alcohol?
Orange juice would work!
I’m making this now. Is 177 grams of oil a typo? It’s an obscene amount of oil and did not incorporate very well in the batter. It’s in the oven now. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
177g is correct, I wouldn’t say it’s obscene, there are olive oil cakes with more 🙂 Let me know how it turned out!
Actually it came out just fine. It was a new experience for me. My husband inhaled it and it was lovely with tea this morning.
Ha ha, so glad to hear that, Jocelyn! In his defense, I inhale it too 🙂