Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

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“You’ll never guess what’s in this” is not exactly the most inviting thing your dinner guests could hear as they belly up to a feast at your home. It’s part challenge, part dare, with just a little bit of “Fear Factor” thrown in.

But, as long as you’re not spiking your lasagna with live grubs, there is a certain wow factor to whipping up a tasty dish with an unusual, unexpected ingredient.

In fact, Christopher Kimball, founder and editor of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, says one such recipe with a you’ll-never-guess-it-in-a- million-years ingredient is his favorite ever created by the magazine’s test kitchen in its nearly 15-year history.

“I’m just mad I didn’t come up with it,” Kimball says.

The creation is simple enough: Pie dough.

But the addition of the secret ingredient – a quarter cup of ice-cold vodka – makes it ultra light and flakey, arguably the perfect pie crust.

“I’m a big pie maker,” Kimball says. “It’s the hardest thing to do well in the kitchen.”

Plus, it’s just kind of fun to let your guests guess how you made such a wonderful pie crust.

There are many World War II-era recipes that call for unusual ingredients to get around rationing and shortages. (Ever tried mayonnaise cake?)

And there are other recipes that came en vogue not long after, as an increasing number of convenience products came on the market.

“Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a lot of food editors were hired as consultants of big food companies,” Kimball says.

Nancy Patrykus, a Spokane resident who moved here from Chicago following her retirement a couple of years ago, considers herself a recipe collector.

“I’ve got a roomful of recipes,” Patrykus says. “I always saved all my old cookbooks … I could sit and read recipes.”

But she has a particular affinity for the unusual recipes gathered from old relatives and church cookbooks.

She’s not sure how she came across the instructions for Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake, but she knows it tastes great.

“Don’t tell people,” she says. “They’ll think it’s coconut.”

Sometimes the key to recipe success is thinking outside the box. And that often means using ingredients in unexpected ways.

Marcie Jabbora of Spokane likes to spike her pumpkin pie with Chinese Five Spice Powder, instead of the routine spice combination.

(She also tells a story about accidentally spilling parakeet food into her pumpkin pie batter nearly 20 years ago. Her son still asks if she’ll be making “bird seed pumpkin pie.”)

Bird seed not included, the cooks in Kimball’s test kitchen have become masters at finding new ways to use old ingredients.

Here are some recipes that include unexpected ingredients. Test them out on your guests and see if they can figure out your secret."

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  • 12

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and finely chopped
  • 1 cup water

Preparation

Step 1

Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture in batches, alternating with the water. Stir in sauerkraut.

Pour into greased 9-by-13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
270 calories
10 grams fat (5 grams saturated, 31 percent fat calories)
5 grams protein
43 grams carbohydrates
73 milligrams cholesterol
2 grams dietary fiber
340 milligrams sodium

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