This recipe is Chef Olaf's own leap of faith. He's combined chocolate and sauerkraut to make a cake for any adventurous soul ready to think outside the box and try different things.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup butter
- 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup hot coffee
- 3/4 cup drained sauerkraut very finely chopped
For the Stout Ganache:
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 cup stout beer
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
For the Boozy Cherries:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 cup cherry juice
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 1/4 cup rum
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur
- 1 large orange juiced
- 2 cups black cherries
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease and flour a 14-inch by 1-inch pan.
- In a mixing bowl, using and electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the egg butter mixture, alternating in two parts with sour cream. Mix in the vanilla.
- Gradually add hot coffee (batter will be thin). Stir in the sauerkraut.
- Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick is dry to the touch.
For the Stout Ganache:
- In a small pot over medium heat, stir together cream and beer and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the chocolate pieces until melted.
- Remove from the heat and cool until you have a thick syrup-like consistency.
- Pour over the cooled cake and let it run down the sides.
For the Boozy Cherries:
- In a small pot over medium heat, combine all the ingredients except cherries.
- Reduce the liquid by 75% or until you have a syrup-like consistency.
- Fold in the cherries and cool. Serve on the plate beside the cake.
