Sourdough Vanilla Dot Cake
The viral Dot Cake trend is everywhere—and for good reason! These adorable cake cups are layered with fluffy vanilla cake, creamy frosting, colorful frosting dots, and crunchy sprinkles. Our Sourdough Vanilla Dot Cake adds a homemade twist, using sourdough discard to create a soft, moist cake that's as delicious as it is cute.
Perfect for birthdays, baby showers, graduations, or just because, this easy dessert starts with a simple vanilla sheet cake and transforms into fun, individual treats that are guaranteed to impress. They're festive, playful, and almost too pretty to eat!
Why Everyone Loves Cake Jars
Cake jars have become incredibly popular because they're:
- Easy to transport
- Perfectly portioned
- Great for parties
- Less messy than traditional cake
- Easy to decorate
- Beautiful for gifting
- Fun for kids and adults
What You'll Need
Tips for Perfect Cake Jars
Freeze the Cake First
Chilling or freezing the cake for 20–30 minutes before cutting helps create clean circles.
Use Thick Buttercream
A slightly stiffer buttercream creates cleaner layers that won't slide.
Pipe Against the Glass
For picture-perfect layers, pipe frosting directly against the sides of the cup.
Don't Overfill
Leave about ½ inch at the top for decorating and adding a lid.
Refrigerate Before Serving
Chilling the jars for an hour allows the flavors to meld together beautifully.
Best Occasions for Cake Jars
These adorable desserts are perfect for:
- Birthday parties
- Baby showers
- Bridal showers
- Church gatherings
- Teacher gifts
- Mother's Day
- Easter celebrations
- Graduation parties
- Bake sales
Make-Ahead Tips
Cake jars can be assembled up to 3 days in advance.
Store covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
EASY Chocolate Dot Cake Tips
I made these for my daughter's birthday party and not only did I need more dot cakes to serve, I wanted a variety! So I used the same vanilla cake recipe here and added a double shot of espresso along with 1/3 cup of cacao powder to make it simple but still delicious!
Sourdough Vanilla Dot Cake
Courtney Moody
6
15 minutes
35 minutes
659
American
Dessert
These Sourdough Discard Dot Cake Jars are moist vanilla cake layered with fluffy buttercream and finished with colorful sprinkles for the cutest handheld treat. They're perfect for birthdays, baby showers, church events, bake sales, and gifting.
Best of all, they're made using sourdough discard, making them a delicious way to reduce food waste while creating something beautiful.
Ingredients
1 cup sourdough discard, unfed
½ cup whole milk
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9x 13 baking pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed (or you can use your stand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, mix in the vanilla extract and sourdough discard until fully combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the whole milk until everything is combined. Avoid overmixing so your cake has the fluffiest texture!
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Tap the pan gently on the countertop to remove any air bubbles.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The cake should be golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed.
Once baked, remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Take a small mason jar or cup and flip it upside down so the rim of the glass is now cake cutter. Press down into the cake until a circle comes out and place it inside your jar.
A 9x13 cake will make 5 - 6 dot cakes, depending on how much cake you have made, or how big your containers are, you can layer these with the outside scraps of cake.
Pour your non perel sprinkles into a bowl and top your cake with your favorite icing, making sure it is flush with the top of the jar.
Flip your jar over directly into the sprinkles so it is entirely covered with no icing peeking through.
Continue with all of your jars and enjoy your new favorite treat - a dot cake!
