Calling All Chocoholics!

This is the second birthday cake I made for my brother's 14th birthday. Not only does he love candy, but he loves Dr. Pepper!

I did a google search for Dr. Pepper cake but only cake up with sheet cakes, not exactly what I was looking for. Then I came across this recipe for Root Beer bundt cake from the NYC bakery- Baked. I decided I would just substitute the root beer for the DP. I assumed since the entire cake (frosting included) contained 2 1/4 cups of Dr. Pepper, it would actually taste like Dr. Pepper. It didn't.

Wah wah waah!

I made the cake the night before I was going to serve it and wrapped it in plastic wrap. This kept it moist and the flavors developed nicely. It was extremely chocolately, dense, moist and rich. The frosting was overwhelmingly chocolately and sweet. It was like eating fudge. Again, it tasted nothing like Dr. Pepper. The recipe states to mound it all on top of the crown of the bundt. That would mean there would be a 1/2 inch thick layer of fudge frosting on the cake. A tad much. So I spread it over the entire cake in a nice thin layer. It was still really rich for my chocolate lover husband, but it was a little more palatable.

Make this with root beer and serve it with vanilla ice cream- float style and tell me what you think!

Tell me you don 't want to "lick the bowl"! Drool.

Dr. Pepper Bundt Cake adapted from Baked

• 2 cups Dr. Pepper (do NOT use diet)
• 1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs

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

In a small saucepan, heat the Dr. Pepper, 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 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick 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.

NOTE: I used Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper, but the sugar level and flavor was the same as the original.

Dr. Pepper Frosting:

• 2 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), melted and cooled slightly
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup root Dr. Pepper
• 2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.

Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the Bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving.

NOTE: This makes a lot of frosting! I tried to put all the frosting on the crown of the cake, but it was so thick and gloppy, I just couldn't do it. I ended up using about half of it and spreading all over the cake for a neater appearance. I tossed the rest of it because it was so rich--almost too rich. Is that possible?

For the original recipe and printer friendly version, click here.