Easy Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 07/23/19
Chocolate bundt cake with chocolate glaze

Arx0nt/Getty Images

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 12 to 16 servings

This recipe for moist chocolate sauerkraut cake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting tastes nothing like sauerkraut. Many people think the sauerkraut is coconut, but only you know it's not. This recipe has been around in one iteration or another for eons. This is my version. Not only is this a delicious cake, but the name's ick factor also makes it even more delicious once it's actually tasted.

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Ingredients

  • Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake:
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup (10 2/3 tablespoons) butter (softened)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sauerkraut (rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped)
  • Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate (melted, cooled slightly)
  • 6 ounces cream cheese (softened)
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Steps to Make It

  1. To Make the Cake

    Heat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add the flour mixture in three stages alternately with the water, mixing well. Stir in the sauerkraut.

  2. Coat a 10-inch Bundt pan or a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into the desired pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the pan used, or until a toothpick tests clean. Cool Bundt pan on wire rack 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. If using a 13x9-inch pan. Let cool completely in pan.

  3. To Make the Frosting

    In a medium bowl, combine chocolate, cream cheese, milk, confectioners' sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until smooth and creamy. Spread on cake.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
344 Calories
16g Fat
47g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 to 16
Amount per serving
Calories 344
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 9g 44%
Cholesterol 88mg 29%
Sodium 409mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Protein 4g
Calcium 71mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)