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.
The Duo Dishes
Soda cakes are always so light and fluffy…must be all that carbonation! A ding ding ding winner right here.
rachel
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
jill
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.
Beth
Yum, bookmarked it, and added it to my “to bake” list.
srh
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).
tara
Looks amazing!! Any suggestions for not making it in a bundt pan?
Deanna
This is my next cake! Thinking tonight is the night, or Thursday for my daughters birthday!
Missie
I am so excited to try this! Thanks!
Rina
Um, yum. Bookmarked. Thank you for this!
Jen G
I know what I’m making tonight….. Sounds yummy!
Nurit - 1 family. friendly. food.
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!
Megan
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.
joythebaker
root beet extract exists? um… gross.
Adrienne
That looks unbelievable. I’m so glad you didn’t use root beer extract!
Jane Doe
Joy, you rock my world!