Bittersweet Chocolate Coffee Cake

Chocolate and coffee are total kismet together. In my opinion, the bittersweet dark chocolate variety is even more perfect! This Bittersweet Chocolate Coffee Cake is a chocolate lovers breakfast dream! Rich chocolate cake, with a streusel filling and topping of walnuts, brown sugar, and bittersweet chocolate, topped with a powdered sugar glaze. It’s heaven in every bite!  But wait until you hear what the secret ingredient is! 

The holidays are upon us, and that means our homes and kitchens are filled with the delectable scents of baking. I have been baking up a storm at home, getting some of my holidays cookies and candies in the freezer for later, as well as giving some new recipes a “test run,” this bittersweet chocolate coffee cake is what we will be enjoying on Christmas morning!

I have an espresso cake recipe, and I have lots of coffee cake recipes, but I have never made a chocolate coffee cake, and now that I have this recipe, I won’t need to search out another. It turns out perfectly rich and moist, has a streusel of sweet brown sugar, bittersweet chocolate chips, and walnuts running through the center, as well as adorning the top of the cake. 

Leave a piece out for Santa, I bet he appreciates it, too!

This post is sponsored by Frank’s Kraut. The opinions here and my lifelong love of their sauerkraut are all my own!

Baking with Sauerkraut

What?? You have never baked with sauerkraut before? Well, if you say yes, then you need to listen up! You are seriously missing out on the moistest, richest baked goods on the planet!! Adding sauerkraut to baked goods takes them to the next level. 

WHAT DOES SAUERKRAUT DO TO A CHOCOLATE CAKE?

Chocolate and sauerkraut are a match made in heaven, let me tell you why. Chocolate already has that “bittersweetness” to it and sauerkraut only deepens that flavor with its salty and sour taste.

The other benefit sauerkraut adds is that brininess helps add and retain moisture. Therefore, it helps create a more spongy, moist, and perfect cake every time. 

Just like sour cream makes chocolate frosting so much better, sauerkraut makes chocolate cake better.

FRANK’S BAKING WEEK

Today I have the honor of wrapping up holiday baking week for Frank’s Kraut.  I have worked with Frank’s for almost 7 years now, and I love everything about the company and its products. It’s truly the only sauerkraut I buy, and the one I grew up eating. 

In honor of holiday baking, Frank’s decided to show how amazing sauerkraut is to bake with. This is year two of this fun event, and I am proud to be a part of it. 

Last year, I baked up these Chocolate Kraut Donuts for the baking week. They are, in a word, sensational. 

Be sure to follow Frank’s website and all of their social media to see all of the baking recipes shared this week, as well as the sauerkraut yumminess they share year-round. 

Ingredients in Bittersweet Chocolate Coffee Cake

For the Streusel:

• walnuts
• brown sugar
• bittersweet chocolate chips
• cocoa powder

For the Cake: 

• sugar and brown sugar
• vegetable oil
• eggs
• buttermilk – don’t rush out and buy it, make your own buttermilk with just two ingredients! 
• instant coffee granules
• flour
• cocoa powder
• baking powder
• baking soda
• salt
• Frank’s Bavarian Kraut (also works with regular Frank’s Kraut) 
• bittersweet chocolate chips

ICING:

• powdered sugar
• heavy cream
• vanilla

For measurements please check the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Sauerkraut Coffee Cake

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9″ springform pan. Set aside. Mix up the streusel and set it aside.

Step Two: In the bowl of a mixer, combine sugars, oil, and eggs for 2 minutes. Mix in the buttermilk and instant coffee until incorporated. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder into the wet ingredients. Mix by hand, just until combined.

Fold in the sauerkraut and the remaining chocolate chips.

Step Three: Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Top with the remaining batter, and finish off with the remaining streusel. Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before icing.

Step Four: Remove the cake from the outer rim of the springform pan. 

Step Five: Mix the icing ingredients together. Drizzle with half of the icing. Cool the rest of the way and drizzle with the remaining icing.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Love it? Pin it!! 

Don’t forget where you found this fantastic chocolate coffee cake recipe! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board before you go!

THE BEST SAUERKRAUT

I know if you’re reading this recipe, that you are a fan of kraut like we are.  But if you have never tried Frank’s Kraut, I urge you to change that.  I can tell you without hesitation, it is the best I have ever eaten.

Other recipes you just have to try!

• Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake (the BEST chocolate cake on the planet!) Frosted with the BEST  chocolate frosting
• Bittersweet Chocolate Bourbon Balls
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake
• Reuben Breakfast Casserole
• Everything Sauerkraut Bread

Check out my Ultimate Guide to Sauerkraut!

The next time you have a hankering for something chocolate, choose this chocolate coffee cake! 

Let’s bake! 

LIKE THIS RECIPE?
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leave a comment below the recipe!

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe

Bittersweet Chocolate Coffee Cake

Course: Cake & Cupcakes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate cake, chocolate coffee cake, coffee cake, Frank's kraut, iced, sauerkraut cake, streusel topping and swirl

Servings: 15

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Equipment

• Rubber Spatulas 
• Glass Batter Bowl
• Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer 
• Frank's Bavarian Sauerkraut
• Anolon Advanced Nonstick Springform Baking Pan / Nonstick Springform Cake Pan, Square - 9 Inch, Gray
• Franks Kraut, Shredded, Canned, 14-Ounce (Pack of 24)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Streusel:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 10 ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips *rough chopped (reserve half of the bag for the cake)
• 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

Cake:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 3 cups flour
• 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Frank's Bavarian Kraut drained and chopped
• remainder of the bittersweet chocolate chips

Icing:

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" springform pan. Set aside.
• Mix up the streusel and set it aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer, combine sugars, oil, and eggs for 2 minutes. Mix in the buttermilk and instant coffee until incorporated. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder into the wet ingredients. Mix by hand, just until combined.
• Fold in the sauerkraut and the remaining chocolate chips.
• Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel over the batter. Top with the remaining batter, and finish off with the remaining streusel.
• Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before icing.
• Mix the icing ingredients together. Remove the cake from the outer rim of the springform pan. Drizzle with half of the icing. Cool the rest of the way and drizzle with the remaining icing.

Notes

* I rough chopped the chocolate chips for the streusel but left them whole for the half that went into the cake.