Celebrating 200K With a Zero-Waste Cake 🎉

We did it — 200K! 💚 This milestone has been a long time in the making. I’ve been sharing on social media since early 2020, and nearly six years later, I’m so happy to have found my niche: talking about underconsumption core and showing how to reduce waste in every aspect of life.

When it came time to celebrate, I thought about the usual things people buy — balloons, decorations, or a store-bought cake. But that didn’t feel right. Balloons end up in the garbage, and even cake packaging creates waste. Since my whole channel is about reducing waste, I decided to celebrate in a way that reflects what I stand for: with a cake made out of food scraps.

The star of the recipe? Watermelon rinds. The pale white part that most people throw away is actually edible, lightly sweet, and perfect in baking. I paired it with overripe bananas, homemade apple vinegar (from apple cores), and sourdough discard. The result is a super fluffy, soft, and delicious cake that tastes every bit as celebratory as a traditional one — without the waste.

One of the secrets is the vinegar. When mixed with milk, it creates a buttermilk effect that makes the cake extra airy and tender. I used my own apple vinegar, which is milder than store-bought apple cider vinegar. If you don’t make your own, you’ll want to reduce the amount — just one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar is enough.

This cake feels like the perfect way to celebrate a community that cares about mindful living and finding joy in less. Thank you so much for following along — I’m excited to see what the future holds.

Tangy Banana & Watermelon Rind Sourdough Cake 🍉🍌

(Can also be baked as muffins — makes about 18–20)

Dry Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup rolled oats

• 4 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 tsp cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 cup watermelon rinds, peeled and cut into small pieces(white part only, no green skin)

• 1 cup + 3 tbsp sugar

• ½ cup neutral oil (sunflower, canola, or melted coconut oil)

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup sourdough discard (unfed starter)

• ½ cup milk

• ¼ cup homemade apple vinegar (or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar if store-bought)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven & prep pan
   Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line a cake pan (9x13 or two 8-inch rounds) with parchment paper.

2. Mix dry ingredients
   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

3. Mix wet ingredients
   In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the sugar, oil, eggs, sourdough discard, milk, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

4. Add watermelon rind
   Stir the grated rind into the wet mixture. (If very watery, squeeze lightly before adding.)

5. Combine wet & dry
   Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not overmix — the batter should be thick but pourable.

6. Bake
   Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Cool & serve
   Let cool before slicing. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar or top with a light glaze.

✨ This cake is proof that celebrations don’t need to come with extra waste. By turning scraps like watermelon rinds, overripe bananas, apple cores, and sourdough discard into something delicious, you can make moments memorable in a sustainable way.

Here’s to 200K and beyond — and to finding joy in using what we already have.

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A post shared by Christine Lan (@ecoamical)