Dr. Pepper Cake

Dr Pepper Cake for Two. A small moist chocolate cake made with Dr Pepper and a warm chocolate glaze!

Once upon a time, I lived in Waco, Texas. I went to college at Baylor, and my parents moved me two hours south of Dallas into this small town of Waco.

It was quite a shock, going from the big city to such a small town with only two grocery store options. Not that anyone complains about HEB, though.

The only thing I had heard about Waco before going to school was that it housed the Dr Pepper museum. That my beloved beverage was invented in Waco and a museum honored its existence.

The best part about the Dr Pepper museum, and not they do not serve Dr Pepper cake, is that they feature the soda made with cane sugar.

Most soda in the market these days is now made with the cheaper, easier-to-use high fructose corn syrup. It's okay, but Dr Pepper is really special when it's made the old fashioned way, with cane sugar.

The 'real sugar' version of Dr Pepper is abundant in Waco; it's a bit of a religion. Wait, we really shouldn't talk about religion when it comes to Waco, Texas, hah.

I miss the real stuff for making my Dr Pepper Cake!

Anyway, I didn't know how much I would miss the access to real Dr Pepper when I graduated and moved away.

I can almost still taste the real Dr Pepper. I make this Dr Pepper cake as an homage to the way I remember Dr Pepper tasting.

This Dr Pepper cake isn't a new recipe; making cake with soda is an old thing. The soda makes for an unbelievably moist and tender cake! It has buttermilk, which makes the best chocolate cake, in my opinion. Plus, you only need a small can of Dr Pepper to make this cake. You won't use the whole can; enjoy the rest while the cake bakes.

Dr Pepper chocolate cake has the best frosting.

I love chocolate cakes that feature a warm frosting to pour on top right when it comes out of the oven. It reminds me of my Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake. The frosting you use for a warm glaze like this has a high percentage of powdered sugar so that it sets almost into a flaky fudge style frosting. It's perfection.

I bake this cake in this 6" round pan to make a small cake that serves two with 4 mini slices.

I hope you love this little slice of Waco in this Dr Pepper chocolate cake for two!

Yield: 4

Dr Pepper Cake

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Makes 1 small 6" cake with Dr Pepper in the filling and frosting.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• ¼ cup Dr. Pepper (don't use diet)

For the frosting:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons Dr. Pepper
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a 6" round cake pan or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar until fluffy and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
4. In another small bowl, stir together the Dr. Pepper and buttermilk.
5. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until lightly combined. Add half of the buttermilk-soda mixture and continue beating. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the last of the buttermilk-soda mixture. Finally, add the last of the flour mixture and beat until combined.
6. Scrap the batter into the cake pan, and bake on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few crumbs clinging and the cake starts to pull away fromt he sides of the pan.
7. Once you pull the cake from the oven, begin making the icing (and not a minute before). In a small bowl, melt the butter, cocoa powder and Dr. Pepper in the microwave. Once the butter is melted and the mixture slightly bubbles, pour in the powdered sugar and little at a time, whisking vigorously by hand. When all the powdered sugar is incorporated, pour the warm frosting over the warm cake. Let cool slightly before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 186mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 3g

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