HELOISE Chocolate sauerkraut cake recipe is a hit

Dear Heloise: I am writing to ask if you have a recipe for chocolate sauerkraut cake. If you do, I would appreciate it very much if you could print it. Thank you. Viola Dyarman, Carlisle, Pa.
Years and years ago, I asked readers if they had ever heard of a recipe for a chocolate cake using sauerkraut. Well, more than 4,000 recipes arrived at my office! It turns out that this is a delicious, moist cake with a surprise ingredient that most won't figure out. So give it a try, and don't tell the secret until after your family or guests have tasted this surprise cake.
CHOCOLATE SAUERKRAUT"SURPRISE" CAKE
11/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup shortening or butter
3 eggs
11/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa
21/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup water or beer
1/2 to 2/3 cup sauerkraut, chopped, rinsed and drained well
Cream together sugar and shortening. Add eggs, mix well, then add vanilla, salt and cocoa, and mix together. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Alternating, add the dry ingredients and water or beer. Mix, then fold in sauerkraut by hand.
Bake in greased and floured pan(s) for 35-45 minutes at 375 degrees. This will make one 9-by-13-inch sheet cake or a two-layer cake. The cake is moist and chewy. You can frost it with your favorite frosting, although sour-cream or cream-cheese icing is really delicious. If this cake sounds interesting, you might want to order my pamphlet with other tasty recipes by sending $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cake, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5001. For a quick version of this cake, you can use a boxed chocolate-cake mix. Just follow the directions on the box, then add the sauerkraut (amount listed above). Cooking time might be a little longer, so test for doneness. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I carry bottles of water in the car. You never know when you might get stalled for a period of time. I fill the bottles half-full with water and freeze them. When I'm ready to run errands in the car, I just grab one, add fresh water, cap it tightly, and I'm on my way. The water stays chilled for a couple of hours and can be used to freshen up or cool off, as needed.
Also, to keep a cold drink glass from sticking to the napkin at a bar or restaurant, just sprinkle some salt on the napkin under the glass. Marge Thomssen, Lincoln, Neb.
Here's another "cool" water hint: "When I mow or have a lot of yardwork, I keep a plastic jug half-full of water in the freezer and let it freeze solid. When I go to work, I fill it with water, take it to the yard and have cool water all day." Bill from Arizona
Dear Heloise: After boiling ears of corn, put them in plastic bags (three to six ears per bag, depending on size) with butter, salt and pepper. They stay warm and seasoned. This prepared-ahead timesaver idea is great for going on a family picnic a distance away. Lizabeth Lawrence, Gaithersburg, Md.
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate