Root Beer Bundt Cake
"This is especially good with vanilla ice cream on the side. It came from a cookbook, but I can't remember which. Use root beer schnapps in the cake for a more pronounced flavor. Do not use diet root beer."
photo by wife2abadge
- Ready In:
- 1hr
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Yields:
-
1 10-in bundt cake
- Serves:
- 16
ingredients
-
cake
- 2 cups root beer
- 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1⁄4 cups granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
-
frosting
- 2 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (60% cacao)
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 cup root beer
- 2⁄3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1⁄2 cups confectioners' sugar
directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively butter it, dust it with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
- In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy -- do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.
- To make the frosting, pulse all ingredients in a food precessor until smooth and shiny. I don't have a food processor, so I just made it like regular frosting. I cut the butter into the dry ingredients and then stirred in the root beer. Use a spatula to spread the frosting over the crown of the bundt in a thick layer and allow to set.
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Reviews
-
Great dessert for our Sunday night dinner. I think I overcooked the cake a wee bit, but it was still delicious. The frosting was to die for. I just threw all the ingredients into a bowl and used my hand mixer. I added a bit more root beer and it became a cross between a frosting and a glaze. Yummy. Thanks for a great recipe! -
I made this yesterday for a Memorial Day BBQ (from the Baked: New Frontiers In Baking cookbook). I made it just as written, except I left all salt out of the frosting (I used salted butter), and 1 tsp. seemed like a lot of salt in a frosting. I melted my chocolate for the frosting on HIGH in the microwave, and I used a 20 oz. bottle of A&W root beer (not diet), and it was the perfect amount. This means I used a *bit* more than 1/4 c. in the frosting, but it was still great. Perfectly baked at about 46 minutes, my cake turned out just like the picture, and it was very moist and chocolate-y. You could taste a hint of root beer, but we ate it on the same day I made it. If made the day before you plan to serve it, the root beer taste might be stronger. I got many compliments - even one from a six-year-old, requesting that I make it again! Thanks for posting this EXCELLENT recipe.
