Fudgy Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake

The genesis of this recipe was from a class I taught last week at 18 Reasons: Cabbage! Versatile Veggie Superhero. When pitching the class to the program director she told me that I would get bonus points for including cabbage in either a drink or dessert. The gauntlet was thrown down. 

So I put on my apron and set out to make a cake that was enhanced because of the cabbage addition. Not a dessert that just happened to have cabbage. I’m not sure where the sauerkraut inspiration came from but once I had it in my head I knew that it was the ingredient to focus on. The sauerkraut is really bringing three things to the table: moisture, salt and sourness. The former’s draw should be obvious but the latter two less so. Too often I find sweets and baked goods to be one note: sweet. And often cloyingly sweet at that. With the addition of salt and sour you end up with a far more sophisticated and nuanced dessert. The tang of the kraut and the zip of the salt pierce the heaviness of both the sweet and fatty additions. 

My final cake draft debuted at the 18 Reasons staff party back in December. Since the only attendees are affiliated with 18 Reasons (aka MAJOR foodies) you had better believe that people only bring their A game with the potluck offerings. I was very clear that I wanted improvement suggestions and apart from the addition of flaky salt, received none. No one guessed that sauerkraut was the “secret ingredient”. Jennifer, the instructor who teaches the majority of the baking and pastry classes asked me for the recipe. I'm not sure what could have been a bigger compliment than that.

A few things: this cake is definitely stepping into brownie territory with regards to its moisture content. If you prefer a drier, cakier texture I recommend swapping out the olive oil for unsalted butter.

Don’t skimp on the quality of the cocoa powder here! This was tested with Valrhona, which I happen to think is one of the best. It’s intense, rich, vaguely fruity and pairs perfectly with the sauerkraut. 

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INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 1 c (210g) sugar

• ¾ c (150g) plain sauerkraut, drained

• ½ c (120ml/100g) olive oil

• 1 c (100g) cocoa powder

• 2 eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼ c + 2 Tbsp (60g) flour 

Frosting

• ⅔ c (100g) 70% chocolate chips

• ⅔ c (140g) sour cream, room temperature

• Pinch of salt

• Flaky salt for garnishing

DIRECTIONS

Cake

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9” cake pan and set aside.

2. Add sugar, sauerkraut, olive oil, cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a high powered blender and process until smooth.

3. Add the flour and pulse until just combined.

4. Pour the batter into the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for at least 1 hour before frosting.

Frosting

1. Melt chocolate in a medium stainless steel bowl over a gently boiling pot of water.

2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sour cream and a pinch of salt. Frost the cake once it has cooled. 

3. Garnish with flaky sea salt and serve.

Yield: One 9” cake pan