Go Back

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake with Boozy Cherries

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.
Course: Dessert