Shhh. Don't tell anyone about sauerkraut in the cake.

St. Patrick's Day always inspires me to indulge in my favorite deli creation, the Rueben sandwich. The corned beef may be Irish, but as my German baker grandmother used to quip, "The secret's in the sauerkraut."

How right she was!

My grandmother took great pride in her homemade kraut. If I could go back and enjoy just one of her meals, it would include her version of this classic German dish.

All that culinary reminiscing got me to thinking about the various ways my grandmother served sauerkraut. Yet for all her baking talents she never stirred sauerkraut into her desserts.

If my grandmother could join me in the kitchen today, I'm not sure how she would react to such a suggestion. But with my Irish curiosity suitably intrigued, I set out to explore the dessert possibilities of sauerkraut.

First, let me admit that I rarely cook with sauerkraut these days. My husband has a very short list of ingredients that should never grace the shopping cart, and sauerkraut enjoys the top spot. This project had to be approached stealthily.

After successfully smuggling the secret ingredient into the kitchen, I embarked on a new chocolate cake for the column. This made practical food science sense as the sauerkraut's powerful flavors could be matched only with either dark cocoa or strong spices.

Sauerkraut's tangy notes comes from only two ingredients: cabbage and salt. Slices of firm white cabbage are layered with salt and pressed together. The salt draws water out of cabbage that over time ferments into an acidic liquid, creating signature bite.

Working a traditionally savory and distinctive ingredient into a dessert recipe posed a challenge: the finished cake needed to benefit from the zesty taste and texture-softening characteristics of sauerkraut without sounding the warning bells on the taste buds.

Preserving sauerkraut's secret identity began with rinsing away some of the salt. This step toned down the biting edges and kept the acidic nature intact. Coarsely chopping the cabbage prevented stringy texture in the finished cake.

Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder brought a punch of chocolate and deep color to the batter. Vegetable oil contributed moistness, but with this recipe every bit of taste mattered, so I added melted butter for smooth flavor and to mimic the fluidity of the oil.

A test run of my recipe yielded great moistness, but my taste buds detected sauerkraut. To boost the chocolate notes I substituted hot coffee for the water. As a bonus, dissolving cocoa in hot liquid enhances the chocolate color.

Replacing a portion of the granulated sugar with light brown added a touch of caramel flavor. Mini chips round out the cocoa theme by baking small bursts of chocolate into each bite.

Topped with mint-infused whipped cream, this dessert is an Irish delight. My husband loved the cake's texture and chocolate flavors.

Let's keep this secret ingredient just between us bakers.

Secret Recipe St. Patrick's Day Cake

1 cup hot coffee

½ cup Hershey Special Dark Cocoa Powder

¾ cup unsalted butter

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¾ cup sauerkraut; rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped

½ cup miniature chocolate chips

Topping

1½ cups heavy whipping cream, chilled

2½ tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon mint extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Set aside.

In a 4-cup Pyrex measure or small heat proof bowl, whisk hot coffee, cocoa and butter until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool.

In large bowl, stir flour, sugars, baking soda and powder together until evenly combined. Add cooled cocoa liquid, eggs and vanilla. Beat on low speed 30 seconds. Scrape bowl well. Beat 30 seconds on medium speed. Scrape bowl well. Add sauerkraut and chocolate chips. Beat 1 minute on medium speed until smooth.

Pour into prepared pan and smooth top and bake 25-30 minutes, until tester inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 1 hour in pan.

Just before service prepare the minty cream topping. In large bowl combine cream, sugar and mint extract. Whip on high speed until soft peaks form. Do not over beat.

Spoon over cake slices. Garnish with green sprinkles or pistachio nuts. Serve immediately.

Serves 20.

Baker's hint: Dark brown sugar can be substituted for light brown.

Nutrition values per serving: 268 calories, 16 g fat (10 g saturated), 30 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein, 75 mg cholesterol, 169 mg sodium.