Chocolate sauerkraut cake

Adding carrots, courgettes, beetroot or even tomatoes to cakes is nothing unusual these days – they simply make cakes more flavourful and moist, while helping them stay fresh for longer. But what do you think about adding… sauerkraut? Chocolate sauerkraut cake is a wonderfully moist chocolate cake, and you really cannot taste the sauerkraut at all… It reminds me most of my chocolate courgette cake – it is just as rich, intensely chocolatey and absolutely delicious! The reason I baked this cake was some sauerkraut I found in the fridge, left over from Christmas; it certainly wouldn’t have gone to waste, but now I have another idea for using it up ;).

Ingredients for the chocolate sauerkraut cake:

• 120 g butter
• 220 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g plain flour
• 60 g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 250 ml water or coffee
• 250 g sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry

All the ingredients should be at room temperature. Finely chop the sauerkraut and set aside.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat briefly. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda directly into the butter mixture. Add the salt and water or coffee. Mix with a spatula just until combined, no longer. Add the finely chopped sauerkraut and mix until evenly distributed.

Line the base of a 25 cm round cake tin with baking paper. Transfer the batter to the tin and smooth the surface.

Bake the chocolate sauerkraut cake at 175°C for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool completely and cover with chocolate glaze.

Ingredients for the chocolate glaze:

• 100 ml double cream
• 100 g dark, milk or white chocolate, chopped

Heat the double cream in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the glaze is smooth. Leave to thicken slightly, then pour over the chocolate sauerkraut cake.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from I am baker,