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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Hmm, it looks so delicious. So I must find out where I can buy this Root Beer in Germany. I’ve never heard about it before.
I made this last week and it was WONDERFUL!!! Everyone enjoyed it…followed the recipe and it was great with the ice cream…a keeper!
I absolutely adore the Baked cookbook. I’ve made the Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso muffins multiple times and I always wanted to make this cake. Seeing how deliciously it came out makes me want to even more! Maybe this weekend…
I love you, I love you… I am SO making this cake ASAP!
Hello, by the way… I just found your blog and am quite tickled about it. Come by and visit mine in between cake- and muffin-making :)
~ J :)
It’s gorgeous!! Great idea using root beer! yum yum!
Nice! I am forever having sweets for breakfast. I blame my mom – she used to argue that ice cream was a perfectly acceptable breakfast item since it had milk in it. And I’m dying over the big topping of frosting – yummy!!
Just the perfect recipe to try out in my new oven.
Looks and sounds fantastic! I’d love to make it, but there’s no chance to get root bear in Austria. Can you suggest an alternative, that might work, Joy?
I’m so going to try this on root beer float day!
You asked for what we thought about this cake, so here you go:
I made this cake this afternoon and while it’s okay, I’m not raving. The icing was way too salty (didn’t see the note to reduce the amount till now). I would recommend leaving all the salt out, or using only a pinch at the most. Also, the icing didn’t come together very well—the cocoa and butter didn’t mix up nicely and I had to add the root beer right then to bring it together. The icing was really dry with only 1/4 cup of the soda, and I probably added at least another 1/4 cup before I was all done. If it weren’t for the salt poisoning (!), I think it might be a good recipe…
As for the cake, well, it’s slightly crumbly and very moist, with no root beer flavor whatsoever. I know you said that it improved the next day, so I’m hopeful.
Okay, so there’s my candid thoughts. The kids love it, and I DO like it that it’s so dark. It’s a very pretty cake.
Joy! Thank you for the sweet comment on my blog! I absolutely love yours, in fact I have several of your recipes bookmarked to test out. :)
This cake looks fabulous. I think it will make an appearance at our Memorial Day picnic…
What. Is. THIS??!! I LOVE root beer floats! I’m trying this!!
looks so good.
Have a nice day
regards
olga.
Great idea! I have recently made Coca~Cola cake and also used Coke in the last Iron Cupcake challenge and loved the results of the soda in the cake…really light. I bet this was delicious and will definitely give it a try!
It’s funny, for me the root beer float is actually a uniquely adulthood favorite. I get one every time I fly through RDU (Raleigh being my hometown) because there’s an A&W in the airport, but there aren’t actual standalone A&Ws anywhere I’ve lived. Therefore, it’s a fun once every year or two treat on the way to see the parentals.
I tried this recipe 2 days ago. It’s delicious and very moist but it sticks to my teeth though. Will try again because my kids love it. I can’t taste the root beer.
Day Two—still can’t taste the root beer and the salt isn’t quite as toxic…
(Please don’t be offended by my critique—just tossing in my paltry two cents.)
I love that book! I gotta try this recipe!
I will be making this on Memorial Day which also happens to be my mom’s bday, I know she’ll love it! :)
Hi,
OMG!! The only soda I love is root beer and I like to try all different brands of them, just like my friend Jessica. This will be a great girls night in treat. I might just do that :) Thank you, Joy again for speaking into my soul =D
i love rootbeer, a lot. and cake for breakfast is totally acceptable…why would muffins and cake look so similar if it weren’t true? i don’t know, but it makes sense to me. :)
Oh my goodness, this cake looks so dang amazing! We only buy pop as a rare treat, so this could be the excuse to have some root beer around, yay!
I have never heard of this before, but root beer floats are one of the few treats my father indulges in. I bet this cake would win him over.
Made this last night. I was surprised and delighted by how moist it was!!! I was also surprised that there wasn’t much root beer flavor. It tasted like a really rich chocolate cake with a hint of something different. I am going to try it with cream soda next time.
I think I’m the only one who has made this cake that tasted less root beer flavor the next day. But regardless, it is one moist, tasty cake!!
I made the cake tonight and will be sharing it with my friends for my 24th birthday! wooooop!
Wow! These sound great. I’m sure my husband would love this cake, especially if served alongside his favorite soda, rootbeer, of course! Thanks for the recipe. Next time a 12-pack of rootbeer comes home, I’ll be sure to snag a few for this cake. Yum.
Someone may have mentioned this already (I haven’t gone through all of the comments :) ) but I read another recipe for a root beer bundt cake that added some root beer schnapps to the batter to kick up the root beer flavor.
I have fond root beer / childhood memories too! We would go to the drive in and I would get my root beer in a tiny little frosty mug! Cant wait to try this cake. I am intrigued about finding some root beer schnapps that Elle mentioned!
Looks so good!
I am BEYOND excited for this cake. I am in love with anything rootbeer, but hadn’t thought of applying that to baked goods. Thank you!
i made this cake yesterday.
it is tasty and moist.
i should have mixed the batter a little more.
i can’t taste the root beer at all . . . i was hoping there would be a hint of it.
i had to go with mug root beer. but now i see an ice cream shop nearby has homemade root beer. i may have to stop in to try a glass.
I made it Saturday night and that was my breakfast Sunday morning. lol. You can definitely taste the root beer in the frosting (I used A & W) and as far as not really being able to taste it in the cake, that’s fine with me. The chocolate balances it out quite well. I think if served with chocolate ice cream you would happily die from chocolate overload. ;) I have orders to make it for both my mom and mother-in-law since my hubby wouldn’t let it leave the house because he liked it so much. hehe! Joy, you rock. =þ
You guys are totally right… the root beer flavor isn’t very pronounced in this cake at all. It’s a lovely and super moist chocolate cake, but the root beer flavor is very slight. I think root beet schnapps would kick this recipe up a lot if you need more root beer flavor.
Yaaaaahooooo! I just made this cake for the neighborhood BBQ. Can’t wait to cut it open. Baker gets the big slice, right?! Yeah, baby!!! If I get a photo I’ll share!……btw – One cup of root beer for frosting to make it spread easier.
Thanks Joy!
Sorry no photo! :( Brought the fabulous cake – 2 tiered decadent chocolatababy – to the neighborhood get together yesterday, walked back home for the camera, only to return to see everyone digging into the cake. Complements galore! Delish!!
just found the cake i will make for my daughters birthday next week! thanks for sharing. I’ll post again and let you know how we much we love it!
We have never heard about root beer cakes in this part of the world! This looks like a gorgeous new recipe to try.
Can I make this into cupcakes? What do I need to adjust?
I made this for a dinner party and it was a hit! The chocolate frosting is the best I have ever had.
Joy, I do a lot of baking. Rarely have trouble but this root beer cake has me stumped. I can’t get it baked at 325 degrees. Sorry
Just made this cake. YUMMY! We have leftover root beer from Memorial Day, and I was looking for a way to use it it. Found it!!! Super duper delicious with just a *slight* hint of root beer. I like it that way! Very moist. Thanks so much, Joy!!!
So we turned these into cupcakes and it worked really well (we just altered the baking time) – oh MAN were they good. In particular, this frosting is awesome. It’s the perfect texture, and I like the slight salty flavor. Mmmmm.
Well this cake is on my to do list when i get down to Sint-Maarten (my home land well island i know) this summer.You see i live in the Nederland’s and RootBeer cannot be found here.
I just finished baking this cake and it looks darker than I thought. I cannot wait to try it for breakfast tomorrow. ;o))
You have to get the Virgils keg! I am going to cook up this cake today for tomorrow’s BBQ birthday party and we are going to tap into root beer keg! I am SO excited. It really is the best root beer ever.
Funny but true story. Made this cake and took it over to my parents’ house this past weekend. My 80 year old mother cut us each a very small piece and then sat down to take a bite. One taste and she jumps up, covers the cake and puts it in the fridge announcing “We are done”. Within 5 minutes she had invited all of the neighbors over for tea the next day – with the root beer float cake being the guest of honour.
Lovely moist delicious cake – with the Mom seal of approval.
Thank you!
I am laughing so hard at the eccentricity of the previous commenter’s mother. Ha!
Anyway, I made this yesterday, substituting Pepsi for Root Beer, since it was what I had on hand. It was fabulous, and my hubby and daughter loved it, too! Thanks for the great recipe.
I made this cake last night, but in two rounds as a layer cake. It came out perfect. There was just enough icing to fill and ice the whole cake. I made it for my boss for his birthday which is during Thanksgiving break so we always miss it. I thought it would be a fun to celebrate at the complete wrong time – a total surprise. Everyone loved the cake. No one could taste root beer though.
I am most pleased that this cake came out exactly as it was supposed to. Nothing is as fustrating as a recipe that doesn’t come out quite right when you know you followed it to the letter. I will make this cake again, as a bundt next time, but I was thinking that a vanilla creme filling in the center would be really yummy too!
Thanks Joy for spreading the joy of baking!
I made this and it was AMAZING. I blogged about it (http://live-laugh-sparkle.blogspot.com/2009/06/bake-this-cake.html). No one could taste the root beer, but that was just fine. Everyone loved it.
I just finished making a cupcake version. I have to bring a dessert for the Father’s Day luncheon at church tomorrow and this was the first thing that came to mind.
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