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Company ate two pieces each of my mother’s chocolate cake one Sunday, told her the coconut was a nice touch, and she just smiled and poured more coffee. There was no coconut in that cake. There was sauerkraut. She had been making it since before I was born, and the only person she ever told was my aunt, twenty years later, and my aunt did not speak to her for a week.
It sounds like a dare, but it is one of those old kitchen recipes that made perfect sense in its day. Sauerkraut was in every pantry, it kept forever, and it did the job that grated apples or zucchini do in other cakes: it adds moisture and a tender, slightly chewy texture to the crumb. Rinsed in cold water and squeezed dry, it loses its sourness. Chopped fine, it melts into the batter and leaves only small pale flecks. The cocoa covers everything else. You cannot taste it. You can only tell that this chocolate cake is darker and moister than it has any right to be, and that it stays that way for days.
Why this chocolate sauerkraut cake works
- Rinsed and squeezed. Cold water washes away the brine, and squeezing removes the extra liquid, so there is nothing sour left and the batter is not watery.
- Chopped fine. Small pieces soften completely in the oven and read as coconut, not cabbage.
- Water, not milk. Like the old depression chocolate cakes, water lets the cocoa taste darker and keeps the crumb tender.
- Baking soda with the cocoa. It deepens the color and gives the cake a soft, fine lift.
- A quick cooked frosting. Butter melted with cocoa, then sugar and milk, sets glossy and fudgy on top of the sheet cake.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 by 13 inch sheet cake, about 15 squares. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the cake
- 2/3 cup sauerkraut (about 150g drained), rinsed in cold water, squeezed dry and chopped fine
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (280g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (45g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup water (240ml)
For the frosting
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (57g)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (30g)
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar (240g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Use plain sauerkraut, the simple cabbage and salt kind, not one flavored with caraway seeds. Squeeze it in your hands or in a clean dish towel until no more liquid comes out.
How to make chocolate sauerkraut cake
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan.
- Put the 2/3 cup sauerkraut in a sieve, rinse it well under cold water, then squeeze it as dry as you can. Chop it fine on a board and set it aside.
- Beat the 1/2 cup soft butter and the 1 1/2 cups sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the 3 eggs one at a time, then the 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- In another bowl, whisk together the 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the 1 cup water, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix only until smooth.
- Fold in the chopped sauerkraut last, spreading it evenly through the batter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake completely in the pan, about 1 hour.
- For the frosting, melt the 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir in the 1/3 cup cocoa. Take it off the heat, stir in the 3 tablespoons milk, then the 2 cups powdered sugar and the 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and glossy. Spread it over the cooled cake.
Tips that make the difference
- Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly. That rinse is what takes the sour out.
- Squeeze it really dry, or the cake bakes up gummy in the middle.
- Chop it finer than you think you need to. Long strands give the secret away.
- Do not tell anyone until they have finished their second piece.
- If the frosting gets too thick to spread, warm it for a few seconds or add a teaspoon of milk.
Variations
- Layer cake. Bake the batter in two greased 9 inch round pans for 25 to 30 minutes, and double the frosting to fill and cover.
- With real coconut. Sprinkle 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (40g) over the frosting, and nobody will ever find the sauerkraut.
- Cream cheese frosting. Beat 4 ounces cream cheese (113g) with 1/4 cup butter (57g), 2 cups powdered sugar (240g) and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Cupcakes. Fill 24 lined muffin cups two thirds full and bake 18 to 22 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead
The cake keeps, covered, at room temperature for 3 days and in the refrigerator for 5. It is even moister on the second day.
It freezes well for up to 3 months, frosted or not, wrapped in plastic and foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Make it the day before you serve it. Covered overnight, the flecks disappear completely into the crumb.
Frequently asked questions
Can you taste the sauerkraut in this cake?
No. Once it is rinsed, squeezed and chopped fine, it has no sour taste left. People notice only that the cake is very moist and has small flecks, which almost everyone takes for coconut.
Do I have to rinse the sauerkraut?
Yes. The brine is salty and sour. Rinsing it under cold water and squeezing it dry is what makes it vanish into the chocolate.
Can I use canned or refrigerated sauerkraut?
Either works, as long as it is plain cabbage and salt. Skip any sauerkraut flavored with caraway, apple or other seasonings.
Why is it called sauerkraut cake if you can’t taste it?
The name is honest about the ingredient, not the flavor. Many families called it a chocolate surprise cake, or simply chocolate cake, and kept the rest to themselves.
Rinse it, squeeze it, chop it fine, and keep a straight face. It is a chocolate cake. The rest is between you and the recipe card.
Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake (The Secret Everyone Thinks Is Coconut)
Old-fashioned chocolate sauerkraut cake: rinsed, squeezed, finely chopped sauerkraut folded into a dark chocolate sheet cake, baked in a 9 by 13 pan at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, with a quick cooked cocoa frosting. Nobody tastes it; everybody guesses coconut.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sauerkraut (about 150g drained), rinsed in cold water, squeezed dry and chopped fine
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g), softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan.
- Put the 2/3 cup sauerkraut in a sieve, rinse it well under cold water, then squeeze it as dry as you can. Chop it fine on a board and set it aside.
- Beat the 1/2 cup soft butter and the 1 1/2 cups sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the 3 eggs one at a time, then the 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- In another bowl, whisk together the 2 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the 1 cup water, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix only until smooth.
- Fold in the chopped sauerkraut last, spreading it evenly through the batter. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the cake completely in the pan, about 1 hour.
- For the frosting, melt the 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir in the 1/3 cup cocoa. Take it off the heat, stir in the 3 tablespoons milk, then the 2 cups powdered sugar and the 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and glossy. Spread it over the cooled cake.
