Root Beer Float Cake
Before I made this cake on Sunday afternoon, I sat down with a nice, tall root beer float. Sure, it was 10:30 in the morning. I suppose that technically that means I had a root beer float for breakfast. That’s one of the great thing about being an adult, you can have a float for breakfast with no resistance.
Something about a root beet float puts me on a conveyor belt back to some really random childhood memories. The taste, the bubbles, the increasingly creamy soda… it take me back to constantly skinned knees, playing in a beat-up old red wagon with my sister, and sitting in front of an old black and white television watching baseball with my grandfather. Funny what a little ice cream and soda can do in your brain, right?
But cake!? Root Beet Float Cake? I have so many questions. Will it have the same memory inducing effects as the real deal? Is that asking too much? Wait, is this cake chocolate or root beer? Can I eat it for breakfast? Will it change my life for the better?
Answers and cake, just a click away.
Here’s what you should know about the Root Beer Float Cake. It’s a wonderfully moist, super chocolate Bundt Cake. It’s the kind of cake that’s great to take to a outdoor summer party because it has the “hmmm” factor. People will wonder what’s in it besides the chocolate.
The cake doesn’t have the same memory inducing effects as a real root beer float. I blame that on all the chocolate. The root beer flavor does intensify in the cake the next day. I suggest making the cake a day ahead, wrapping it well, then frosting it and serving the next day. And yes… cake for breakfast is always encouraged around these parts. Cake for breakfast usually makes my life better.
Try this cake. Maybe for Memorial Day. Maybe put it on your summer baking list. I’d love to hear what you think!
Root Beer Float Cake
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
2 cups root beer (don’t use diet)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
Preheat even to 325 degrees F. Spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, or butter generously and dust with flour, knocking out the excess.
In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs until just beaten. Then whisk into the cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. You can give it a quick whisk if you like, but don’t over beat the batter or it could cause the cake to be tough. Don’t worry, the batter is very loose.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and cook for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then loosen edges with a butter knife and turn out onto a cake plate.
Chocolate Root Beer Frosting
2 ounces 60% cocoa, melted
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt (you may want to use less… maybe just 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric hand mixer, beat softened butter and cocoa powder. Once combined add the melted chocolate, salt, powdered sugar and root beer. Beat together until smooth. Spread on top of cooled cake. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.
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Joy, you rock my world!
That looks unbelievable. I’m so glad you didn’t use root beer extract!
root beet extract exists? um… gross.
Aw man! I think I drank my last Virgil’s on Friday. I have had root beer float cupcakes before and they were awesome. Those had a whipped cream frosting and some sort of root beer syrup drizzled over the top.
Hey, I made this cake too just a while ago!! With a little twist. Posted it on my blog.
it was my first time to try root beer! Can you believe it???
Love your photos!
I know what I’m making tonight….. Sounds yummy!
Um, yum. Bookmarked. Thank you for this!
I am so excited to try this! Thanks!
This is my next cake! Thinking tonight is the night, or Thursday for my daughters birthday!
Looks amazing!! Any suggestions for not making it in a bundt pan?
Um, I just want you to know that you’ve essentially written a recipe that I have thought about since I bought a half sphere cake pan and my boyfriend got the ice cream attachment for the kitchenaid. I thought how brilliant to have a rootbeer type cake and fill the hollow hole part with vanilla ice cream and thus make a rootbeer float cake but I didn’t know how to do it. This yr for his birthday we are having a rootbeer themed picnic (which is to say a picnic with a rootbeer tasting aspect to it) and we couldn’t figure out what to do for the cake. You have totally and thoroughly just nailed it. We are absolutely using your recipe this memorial day weekend for an outdoor party! I just wanted you to know (and, you know, to thank you).
Yum, bookmarked it, and added it to my “to bake” list.
Oh, I am absolutely making this for a party we’re having tomorrow (but gluten-free). Perfect. I hope I’ll have some leftover for breakfast.
I used root beer extract in some cupcakes (http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2008/05/root-beer-float-cupcakes.html) last year and it added a lot more root beer flavor than using the soda did. You might want to check it out!
http://shop.zatarains.com/zatarains%C2%AE-root-beer-extract-p-1586.html
Soda cakes are always so light and fluffy…must be all that carbonation! A ding ding ding winner right here.
Did you read my mind? I was just thinking about making this for our work cook out next week! I bought the Baked book a couple months ago and so far everything I have made tastes great. I am excited to try this one out next.
Oooh that looks insanely moist! I made beer cupcakes the other day and thought they were wonderful, but I love this as a non-alcoholic version, and the frosting is mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…..
I assume that the measurement for powered sugar is in cups? Thanks.
I assume that the measurement for powdered sugar is in cups? Thanks.
Wow that is weird, I got the Baked Cookbook for Christmas, those guys are too cool….and we made this cake this weekend…it is our long weekend in Canada. It is awesome….I can totally taste the rootbeer in it, even when others can’t….and those that can’t just think it is a fabulous choc cake….and yes with just a little something they can’t quite figure out. Lovely pics…and a great summer cake! Don’t skimp on the vanilla ice cream…it is a must!
i made this recipe a few months back – loved the cake but thought the icing was too salty. i’d definitely make it again and eliminate the salt in the frosting. :)
xo
Kelly
Oops! Yes, 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Also, yes… I might reduce the salt in the frosting a bit too!
Couple things Joy:
Root beer floats are amazing.
Cake for Breakfast is the breakfast of champions – so much that it’s the name of my blog!
This looks great and I think it will be on my Memorial Day menu. Thanks!
What the hell?! I thought you were just fantasizing about this! You make cake-y miracles!
Nyomblers,
Sarah
All I can say is (1) I’m totally jealous that you had a root beer float for b’fast and (2) I wish I would have read this post before I went to the store. I would have so bought everything to make it right now.
We just had root beer floats last night! Putting root beer into a cake intrigues me. Sounds like a very fun dessert.
i was also celebrating adulthood yesterday as i made hand-cut french fries and a berry banana smoothie for breakfast. :-) perfect salt and sweet combo. can this be my dinner for meatless monday today?
Mmmmm…this sounds scrumptious. Must make soon.
Wow this looks great! I am totally going to make this one for this weekend!
What is that root beer you talk about? Is it really different from some dark beer i could get my hands on where i live? Sounds so misteriously yummy, though …
I’m pretty sure this is a very good idea for breakfast. Also, the only thing I like better than a root beer float is a Guinness float. Just sayin’.
Wow, this looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it! I love root beer, root beer floats, and chocolate, so I assume I would naturally love this!
I fully support cake for breakfast too! Or any baked good for that matter….
That’s so funny…on my wall calendar, there’s a recipe for root beer float cake(2 cups root beer) for the month of July, that I plan on making! It is white cake though, and the frosting is vanilla whipped with root beer(1 cup) added:) Thanks for the chocolatey variation! Looks and sounds yummy! Of course with ice cream:)
You are truly the best.
i would like to reach in, grab that slice of cake and shove it in my mouth. YUM!
Ohhh, root beer cake! But what if it didn’t have any chocolate…. Would that be good or just too much of a gingerbread? Hmmm. Thinking cap is on over here. How awesome!
lol you’re so funny. and i like ur childhood memories from leave it to beaver lol. but this cake looks delish. i was too lazy to actually bake this weekend
Root beer floats are my favorite!!! I’m definitely making it this weekend!!
I am so excited to try this, we are going camping this weekend, should be a great start to the summer season.
That looks so moist and awesome!
I actually made this cake a couple months ago with some other bloggers. I loved the idea of it and thought it was very original. We all liked it and it was a lot like a moist and chocolatey cake. I could taste a bit of root beer and some of the other bloggers didn’t taste any root beer. We all enjoyed the cake though. Thanks for sharing. Yours looks terrific!!
hello joy- your site is really lovely. gorgeous photos and beautiful writing. i love how you see the world, and how you say it. i happened onto your blog quite recently. no blogging for me–wouldn’t know where to begin–but i bake constantly, and i think we see things, baking-wise, in a very similar way: make it pretty, yeah, but make it old school and make it taste amazing. your little corner of the universe here is absolutely captivating. thank you for sharing your lens on life and baking… lovelovelove it.
Oh, I had way too many skinned knees as a child. Next time you’re in the Bay Area, you should check out this restaurant on College Ave. in Oakland (right where Berkeley and Oakland meet). It’s call Wood Tavern, and besides having excellent food, they have rootbeer floats on the dessert list. Todd and I ordered one the other night and it brought back a flood of wonderful memories! I love my Baked book; I can’t wait to try out this bundt cake (however, I will bake it fully heeding your disclaimer that it doesn’t quite evoke the same memories as the “real thing.”)
Yowza! This sounds delish! My boys will love this recipe. Thanks for posting. I love your blog and follow it often. Please take a moment to check out my new baking blog. It’s new so there is not a lot on there but stay tuned!
heidibakes.blogspot.com
Thanks
Heidi
Seattle, WA
Ah, root beer … I love it. It reminds me of holidays in Canada, as we don’t have it here in Germany … Maja, root beer is more a soft drink than a beer, but I might give this cake a try using something else, too ~ maybe with a special kind of coke we have here, darker and richer than the usual kind.
I can’t wait to try this! My husband’s dessert tastes are very simple…he loves just a regular root beer or Coke float and doesn’t care about any fussy desserts or cakes that I like to make, but this has the best of both. Thanks for sharing. I also have the Baked cookbook on my wishlist, so I’m excited to try a recipe from it.
oh Joy if you can try using the root ber schnapps, it was wonderful in this!!
Are you reading my mind? I have been craving root beer for several weeks now. Last weekend I took two buses and a train to get some root beer at my nearest foreign foods market. I bought the last two A&W Root beers they had in stock. Then my silly husband put them in the freezer to cool, forgot about them and left them over night. The next day, he secretly put them back in the fridge (hoping they would defrost in time?).
Then there is little ole me… tired after a day of teaching and looking forward to my delicious root beer soda. EXPLOSION!!!!! All over me and my freshly moped kitchen. Well at least root beer slushy is better than no root beer at all.
This cake looks tasty enough for all meals…in a row…Is that allowed?