German Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

This is a traditional recipe with a modern twist. Don’t knock it until you try it as weird as it might seem. It is moist and light. This recipe dates back to the 1950’s so to update it, I have suggested adding either some cinnamon or chili powder as an option as both work well with chocolate but these are not necessary as it is delicious all on its own..

1/4 cup plus 2 tsp butter

3/4 cup organic sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup unbleached all -purpose flour or 1/2 cup all-purpose mixed with 1/2 cup whole spelt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup cocoa

1 cup (4 oz or 112 ml), sauerkraut, drained & rinsed with water

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp cinnamon or chili powder (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 x 8 inch pan or grease the sides and line the bottom with parchment paper. Put the butter and the sugar in a mixer bowl and beat until the butter is soft. Add the eggs and the vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cocoa together. Meanwhile, rinse the sauerkraut with water and drain. Place the sauerkraut in a food processor or blender and puree – you may use half the water to help the sauerkraut puree.  Add the flour-cocoa mixture to the butter mixture and gradually add the rest of the water. Add the sauerkraut and mix. Be sure to scrape the side of the bowl so it is mixed completely. Add the batter to the cake pan. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven. The cake is ready to come out of the oven when you touch it lightly with your fingers and it springs back. Let it sit for five minutes. Go around the edge with a palette knife to loosen the cake from the pan.Turn upside down on a wire rack. Let cool. Cut into pieces and place each piece on a plate. Drizzle with Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*

½ cup whipping cream or full fat coconut milk

1 tbsp butter or coconut oil

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Put the cream or coconut milk and butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour into the bowl with the chocolate and let it melt the chocolate. You may not want to add all the cream or coconut milk to make sure the consistency is how you like it. You can always add more after. Make sure there is enough to cover the chocolate and melt it. Whisk until smooth. Let cool a bit before drizzling over the cake.

*Another option is to use a 70% cocoa solid chocolate bar and chop it into pieces to make one cup. This will give the glaze a stronger dark chocolate taste.

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