🎃 Halloween Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins 🎃

Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins 🎃

Soft, warmly spiced pumpkin sourdough muffins with a creamy cheesecake centre and a crunchy cinnamon oat crumble. They’re cosy, delicious and the perfect way to use up some of that sourdough discard sitting in your fridge.

The pumpkin keeps the crumb beautifully soft and moist, while the sourdough discard adds a subtle depth of flavour without making the muffins taste overly sour. Then there’s that cheesecake centre… probably the best part.

They’re perfect for Halloween baking, a spring treat, lunchboxes or an afternoon coffee... although I have a feeling they won’t last very long!

Why you'll love this recipe

These are one of those recipes that look impressive but are actually really simple to make. You don't need an active, bubbly starter and there’s no fermentation time, just grab your discard straight from the fridge and bake.

They’re:

🎃 Soft and full of pumpkin and warm spices
🤍 Filled with a creamy cheesecake centre
🍂 Topped with crunchy cinnamon oat crumble
🫙 A delicious way to use sourdough discard
⏱ Ready in under an hour

What sourdough discard should I use?

You can use unfed sourdough discard straight from the fridge for this recipe. It doesn’t need to be bubbly or at its peak because we’re using baking soda to give the muffins their lift.

Active starter works perfectly well too, so if that's what you have available, use it.

Makes: 12 large muffins
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 20–24 minutes
Oven: 180°C fan-forced

Pumpkin sourdough muffins

250g pumpkin purée
120g sourdough discard
2 eggs
100g melted butter, slightly cooled
80g milk
1 tsp vanilla
180g brown sugar
250g plain flour
1½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves

Cheesecake filling

250g block cream cheese, softened
60g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon oat crumble

45g plain flour
35g rolled oats
50g brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
45g softened butter

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C fan-forced and line a 12-hole muffin tray with tall café-style muffin papers.

Whisk together the pumpkin, sourdough discard, eggs, melted butter, milk, vanilla and brown sugar.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just until combined. Don't over mix.

For the cheesecake filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Transfer it to a piping bag or zip-lock bag and snip off the corner.

Make the crumble by rubbing the softened butter into the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon until chunky crumbs form.

Divide the pumpkin batter between the muffin cases. Pipe a generous amount of cheesecake filling down into the centre of each muffin, leaving a little visible on top.

Scatter the cinnamon oat crumble around the cream cheese.

Bake for approximately 20–24 minutes, or until the muffin portion springs back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted into the pumpkin cake, not directly through the cheesecake centre and comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

Allow them to cool in the tin for around 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

How to store them

Because these muffins contain a cream cheese centre, store them in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. Bring them closer to room temperature before serving for the softest texture.

You can also warm one very gently before eating, just enough to take the chill off.

Can I freeze them?

Yes. Once completely cooled, wrap the muffins individually and freeze in an airtight container. Defrost them in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temperature before serving.

A few tips before you bake

Make sure your cream cheese is properly softened before mixing so you get that beautiful smooth centre.

Try not to over-mix the muffin batter, fold only until you can no longer see dry flour. This helps keep the muffins soft and fluffy.

And when testing them for doneness, insert your skewer into the pumpkin muffin portion, rather than the cheesecake centre. The cheesecake will naturally remain soft and creamy.

Little Sourdough Way note

Can I use active starter instead?
Absolutely! This is a discard recipe, so your starter doesn't need to be at its peak. Active starter will work too, it's a great recipe for using whatever you have on hand.