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Before you say eeeeeeeew, let me assure you of two things. One, this cake tastes nothing like sauerkraut and two, it’s one of the best cakes I have ever made. The sauerkraut gives the cake wonderful moisture and texture.
It’s velvety and flavorful.
I topped it with a caramel frosting.
I went with the caramel because I wanted to try this caramel cream I picked up in a supermarket in Hamburg.
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| “Caramel Magic” |
It’s for spreading on bread or toast. I used it in the frosting. It complemented the cake perfectly, but there are many other varieties that would pair perfectly with this cake. Next time I will try one that is cream cheese based maybe with orange or almond flavor.
If you have a leftover jar or can of sauerkraut sitting in the back of your kitchen cabinet and pantry looking sad and lonely, I encourage you to give this cake a try. It will make your loved ones happy. I am planning to eventually make a cupcake version of this cake, maybe switching up the flavors again.
Chocolate Sauerkraut Spice Cake
with Caramel Frosting
(Adapted from Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake from Heartland: the Best of the Old and the New From Midwest Kitchens by Marcia Adams, p. 199, Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York 1991)
For the Cake:
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces sauerkraut well drained and chopped
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1+1/2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- 2+1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup cold water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 10×10 pan.
- Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the sauerkraut
- Whisk together cocoa, baking powder, salt, baking soda and spices and set aside.
- Beat sugar and butter until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until combined.
- Add vanilla
- Add cocoa mix
- Beat in sauerkraut
- Add flour and water alternately until combined.
- Pour into pan and bake approximately 30 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
For the Caramel Frosting:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup caramel cream (you could probably substitute a smaller amount of caramel syrup)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 -1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions:
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar.
- Add vanilla and caramel cream and blend thoroughly.
- Pour in powdered sugar a bit at a time until combined.
- Add cream slowly until desired consistency is achieved.
6 comments
going to have to try this one sounds interesting
What an ingenious idea…I luv how creative you took this by using sauerkraut! It looks delicious and I bet folks would not be able to pinpoint that it's sauerkraut in the cake. Nicely done. =)
Precisely what Joanne said.
You're amazing. How do you think of these combinations?!
OMG, I cannot believe how good this looks and it has sauerkraut…oh wow..awesome!!
sweetlife
It sounds funny but it looks delicious. I'm very curious to try it.
I'm letting you know that this is insane. But looks obscenely delicious.