Chocolate Root Beer Bundt Cake

This Chocolate Root Beer Bundt Cake has been all over the internet. I have seen it on more than one blog. But after someone proclaimed it a recipe worth buying a cookbook for, my interest was piqued. Prior to reading that comment, it had sounded intriguing, but not intriguing enough to make it to the top of my must-bake list.

So I headed to Trader Joe’s to get some root beer. If I was going to make a cake with root beer in it, it was going to be some good root beer. I came home with a four-pack and then got distracted. A couple days later when I recommitted to making the cake, all the root beers were gone. Silly Hubby – he thought I got those for him. Once I got more root beer, I hid enough for the recipe in the back of the fridge.

A couple days later, I finally got around to making this cake. Although, I think the name is misleading. I didn’t get a root beer taste at all from this cake. Even when I sat and thought about root beer while eating it. I was trying so hard to make it taste like root beer, but I just couldn’t taste it.

I asked a few people at work about what the cake tasted like and I got a variety of answers including comments about chocolate, super moist, really awesome, but nothing about root beer. I do agree with my coworkers, this is a moist chocolatey bundt cake. And just look at that thick layer of frosting. How could anything be sub-par with that much frosting on top?

Has anyone else out there made this cake? Did you think you could taste the root beer?

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Chocolate Root Beer Bundt Cake

This moist chocolate bundt cake has a serious layer of chocolatey frosting

Yield: 12-15 servings

Ingredients:

For the Cake
2 cups root beer (not diet)
1 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

For the Frosting
2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

For the Cake
In a small saucepan, melt together the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in the sugars and whisk until they are completely dissolved, then remove the pan from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, or butter it, dust with flour, and tap out any excess flour.

Once the chocolate/root beer mixture has cooled, whisk in the beaten eggs.

Gently pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture, and fold everything together until well combined. The batter will be slightly lumpy, but donโ€™t overbeat it.

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 or long toothpick/skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely, then gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto a large plate.

For the Frosting
Beat the butter and melted chocolate together with a stand or hand mixer, then, on slow speed, beat in the salt, root beer, and powdered sugar, until shiny and smooth.

Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the bundt cake in a thick layer, then place the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes or so to allow the frosting to set before serving.

You can place the cake in an airtight container overnight if you want to make the cake the day before.

Recipe from Baked, as seen on Crepes of Wrath

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23 Responses to “Banana Split Cupcake”

  1. #
    1
    stephchows — September 15, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    Great cupcake hero entry!!! yum!

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    2
    oneordinaryday — September 15, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    You’re right – it’s a freaking cute cupcake! I especially love that frosting and how you got it to look like a scoop of ice cream. Nicely done!
    This is my first CH and I can’t wait till the voting begins! : )

  3. #
    3
    Amanda — September 15, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    Wow, what a yummy looking cupcake! Great idea!

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    4
    oneparticularkitchen — September 15, 2009 at 4:14 pm

    This is ADORABLE!! I love it!

  5. #
    5
    Xiaolu — September 15, 2009 at 5:08 pm

    Gorgeous cupcake, Jen! I love how the cherry stands out. How do you get that black background if you don’t mind me asking? I’m pretty new to this food photography thing 8)

  6. #
    6
    Amy Kingman — September 15, 2009 at 5:41 pm

    Yummmm!!!!!

  7. #
    7
    Jen — September 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm

    Xiaolu – It’s actually just my black table. I’ve also had luck using a plain black piece of construction paper (most of my backgrounds are the 12×12 scrap-booking papers) or a black towel to get the background all black.

    Here is an example using paper, and one using a towel.

  8. #
    8
    Xiaolu — September 15, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Thanks! That’s really helpful.

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    9
    Joanna — September 15, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    Yum! Great idea ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. #
    10
    Stephanie Wagner — September 15, 2009 at 10:44 pm

    Awesome idea!

  11. #
    11
    bcallegra — September 16, 2009 at 2:04 am

    Very creative and it looks great!

  12. #
    12
    The Novice Chef — September 16, 2009 at 3:15 am

    What a cute idea! I love it!! And I know my nieces would be in love!

  13. #
    13
    nutmegnanny — September 16, 2009 at 3:33 am

    Great idea…they look delicious!

  14. #
    14
    jesstyler — September 16, 2009 at 4:08 am

    holy deliciousness! I NEED one of those! ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. #
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    Kerstin — September 16, 2009 at 4:48 am

    How creative, I love them! So cute and tasty with that cherry on top!

  16. #
    16
    Ingrid — September 16, 2009 at 3:14 pm

    Very cute looking! I like your idea.
    ~ingrid

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    17
    lifeoftheparty — September 16, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    These cupcakes are pure genius… you’ve definitely got my vote!

  18. #
    18
    Jigginjessica — September 17, 2009 at 12:34 am

    Cute idea! What a great entry!

  19. #
    19
    thegreatpantryraid — September 17, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    Wow – super cute! A lot of work, I’m sure, but such a big payoff! Great job!

  20. #
    20
    Kami — September 17, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    So stinkin’ cute!

  21. #
    21
    Caroline — September 19, 2009 at 6:23 am

    Very cute, indeed and loving the pineapple in the frosting. I can just imagine how delicious this would taste. What a great idea.

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    22
    Keiara Wells — September 19, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    MMM, it looks fantastic! I’ll have to try this one ๐Ÿ™‚ xox

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    Sweet and Savory — October 15, 2009 at 5:55 am

    These cupcakes are precious besides, I am sure, being delicious. What a great idea.

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