I desperately needed to use up some more sourdough starter and I was craving chocolate cake: problem solved!

This cake is leavened with baking soda, but it also ferments overnight. This helps give the wheat bran time to soften as well as producing acid for the bicarb to react with. According to the original recipe, only the flour, water, and starter are meant to go into the initial mixture. Everything else gets added just before baking the next morning. However, next time I think I'd try mixing the coconut oil with the flour first to help inhibit gluten formation. Otherwise you end up with a fairly glutinous batter. It still bakes up tasty enough, but it isn't quite as tender as you'd normally want for a cake. I'm hoping that mixing the fat and flour first will help it keep a nice, tender, cake-y texture once fully mixed and baked.

It also occurs to me that this would've been a good place to use some soft whole wheat flour. With the lower gluten content, you probably wouldn't need to worry about mixing fat into the flour and trying to inhibit gluten formation. So, I guess, if you have soft whole wheat flour, proceed as directed. If your flour is hard, mix the fat into the flour first before adding your water and starter.

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

Slightly adapted from Real Food Real Deals

Ingredients

• 300g soft whole wheat flour
• 150g (100% hydration) fed/active sourdough starter
• 3/4 c. water
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground

Directions

1. Combine flour, starter, and water, mix well, cover, and allow to ferment overnight.
2. The next morning, preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23x33cm (9x13") pan.
3. Combine eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and melted coconut oil and mix well.
4. Sift cocoa and baking soda into wet ingredients. Mix in salt.
5. Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 300g soft whole wheat flour
• 150g (100% hydration) fed/active sourdough starter
• 3/4 c. water
• 2 flax eggs
• 1 c. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 1/2 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground