Huckleberry Coffee Cake with Sourdough Discard (and my Four-Legged Berry Picker)

Tender, moist huckleberry sourdough coffee cake made with sourdough discard, tart huckleberries, and a buttery brown sugar crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon treat.

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In late summer, When huckleberry season hits Mt. Hood, you’ll find me foraging with a bucket and Cooper Spur, our berry-picking dog. Somehow she figured out how to pick them straight off the bushes with her teeth! Check out the video I’ve attached to see her in action. I have to work quickly when she’s around because she moves in on whichever bush I am trying to pick, working her nose back and forth to find the juiciest berries. Most of our berries end up in this huckleberry sourdough coffee cake.

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This huckleberry sourdough coffee cake came together the day I got home with a basket of berries to make muffins, only to realize I’d lost my muffin tin somewhere in our move to full-time cabin life. I think I prefer this breakfast cake! It’s one pan, easy cleanup, and a soft (but sliceable) crumb packed with berries.

The sourdough discard adds a savory twang that balances the fruit, and the yogurt adds moisture and tenderness. I keep the sugar on the lighter side because I prefer the cake to be less sweet and more fruit-forward. Add the buttery brown sugar crumb topping, and you’ll have a cozy cabin breakfast or afternoon treat… if it lasts that long.

Huckleberries grow all over the west side of Mt. Hood. They’re smaller than blueberries and more intense — wild and tart in a way that doesn’t translate to anything you’ll find in a store. The Thin-leaf variety, or Mountain Huckleberry, that grows around us is the sweetest. If you ever find yourself on Mt. Hood in August, pull over. They’re worth the purple stains on your fingers.

A few things worth knowing before you bake

This recipe uses sourdough discard at 100% hydration, which just means equal parts flour and water by weight- the standard ratio for most starters. Fed or unfed, both work. I’ve used discard that sat in the fridge for a week and discard I pulled from a same-day feed, and the cake doesn’t seem to care either way.

The one place you do want to be careful is the mixing. Fold the wet into the dry just until the flour disappears. I overmixed a test batch and could feel the difference in the crumb. It was a little tough instead of tender. A rubber spatula and a light hand are all you need. The same goes for the berries. If you’re using frozen, keep them frozen and fold them in gently. Tossing the huckleberries in a tablespoon of flour first helps keep them suspended in the batter rather than sink to the bottom. I don’t always do that and it seems to be okay either way.

The crumb topping goes together in under two minutes, but the butter has to stay cold. Cut it in, then put the mixture back in the fridge while you mix the batter. That’s the whole trick. If the butter softens too much, it’ll melt into the top of the cake instead of staying where it belongs.

Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes. You’re looking for deep golden on the crumb topping and a toothpick that comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Watch it in the last five minutes, as the topping can go from golden to dark quickly. We’re at about 3800′ elevation. If you’re baking at a higher elevation, bake time can run a bit shorter. Start checking at 35 minutes. You’ll know it’s getting close when your kitchen starts to smell like butter and cinnamon.

Cool it in the pan for ten or fifteen minutes, then lift it out. Serve it warm or at room temperature. I love it either way.

If you like baking with wild berries, I also make a simple blackberry crumble when the bushes are loaded later in the season. It’s another easy cabin dessert that lets the fruit do most of the work.

Huckleberry Sourdough Coffee Cake

Heather Hupfer, The Seasoned Cabin

Tender, moist huckleberry sourdough coffee cake made with sourdough discard, tart huckleberries, and a buttery brown sugar crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon treat.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 9

Calories 316 kcal

Equipment

• Small bowl
• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 8×8-inch baking pan
• Parchment paper (optional, for easy removal)

Ingredients

  

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Crumb Topping

• 4 tablespoons ½ stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ cup 60 grams all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup 73 grams light brown sugar, packed
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

Cake Batter

• 2 cups 240 grams all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• ⅓ cup 67 grams granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup 245 grams plain yogurt (low-fat or whole milk)
• ½ cup 120 grams sourdough discard (100% hydration)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh or frozen huckleberries keep frozen if using frozen

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8×8-inch pan or line with parchment.
• Make the crumb topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in cold butter until coarse crumbs form. Refrigerate while you prep the batter.
• Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Mix wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk yogurt, discard, egg, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
• Fold wet into dry with a spatula just until combined. Don’t overmix—a few flour streaks are fine.
• Gently fold in the huckleberries. (Optional: toss berries with 1 tablespoon flour first to prevent sinking.)
• Spread batter into pan using a light touch.
• Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the batter.
• Bake 40–45 minutes, until deeply golden and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
• Cool 10–15 minutes, then lift out to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

I prefer thin-leaf huckleberries; they are sweeter than some of the others that grow around Mt. Hood. Blueberries work great as a substitute.
Avocado oil is my go-to neutral oil.
100% hydration sourdough discard means equal parts flour and water by weight. Most starter recipes use this ratio.
I used unfed discard straight from the fridge, but a fed starter or a room-temperature starter works, too.
Optional: toss berries with 1 tablespoon of flour to help prevent sinking.
This is lightly sweetened. Add 2–3 tablespoons of sugar to the batter if you like it sweeter.
The topping should be golden brown but not dark. Watch it in the last 5 minutes.
No parchment paper? Grease and lightly flour the pan instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 6gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 301mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 238IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 101mgIron: 2mg

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there bears where you forage on Mt. Hood? 

Yes! Black bears live on Mt. Hood, and huckleberry season is when they’re most active since they’re fattening up for winter. In three years of living and foraging up here, I’ve never had a close encounter. Western Black bears are generally shy and want nothing to do with you; they can hear you coming long before you see them.

That said, we make plenty of noise on the trail, keep Cooper close, and pay attention. And I do carry bear spray when I go for longer hikes.

Years ago, when my dad was working on the cabin, he heard some rustling behind him. It was a bear was trying to get a leftover peanut butter sandwich my dad had put in the suet feeder for the birds! They are definitely out here!

Can dogs eat huckleberries? (Cooper does, enthusiastically!)

Yes. Huckleberries are not toxic to dogs and are safe in moderation. Cooper has been eating them straight off the bush since she figured out how to pick them herself, and she’s never had a problem. That said, I have read that eating a very large quantity can cause digestive upset, so moderation applies even to enthusiastic foragers like Cooper.

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KEYWORDS

breakfast, coffee cake, huckleberry, sourdough discard, crumb topping, berry cake, cabin baking, Mt. Hood, low sugar, easy coffee cake, sourdough starter, huckleberry coffee cake