This cake combines two good flavors, without being super strongly either, for a nice blend. The frosting is quite sweet, but the cake isn’t, for another good balance. What makes it sort of magical is adding vanilla ice cream. When eaten with ice cream, the root beer flavor comes out much more strongly and it it tastes just like a root beer float!

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
• 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Frosting:

• 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup root beer
• 2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan well and set aside. (We had an angel food cake pan, close enough in this case.)

Combine the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is completely melted.

Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled root beer mixture until well mixed.

Gently combine the root beer mixture and the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Ok more a square than your normal bowl, but work with what you’ve got!

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt and bake 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until it passes the toothpick test.

Cool in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack or platter.

To make the frosting, combine all the ingredients in a food processor, pulsing in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, this isn’t a time you can substitute in a blender, just use a mixer and beat until smooth.

One way or another, make it happen!

Spread the frosting in a thick layer over the cake, and let set before briefly before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, and store leftovers well wrapped at room temperature.

Root Beer Fudge Cake

Marginally adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

Cake:

• 2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
• 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Frosting:

• 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup root beer
• 2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

 

• vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a bundt pan well and set aside.

Combine the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is completely melted, then add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled root beer mixture until well mixed. Gently combine the root beer mixture and the flour mixture, stirring until just combined, then pour into the prepared bundt. Bake 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until it passes the toothpick test. Cool in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack or platter.

To make the frosting, combine all the ingredients in a food processor, pulsing in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, this isn’t a time you can substitute in a blender, just use a mixer and beat until smooth. Spread the frosting in a thick layer over the cake, and let set before briefly before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, and store leftovers well wrapped at room temperature.