Texas Sheet Cake and its sweeter cousin Cola Cake are family favorites, but I like this Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake even better. Unlike the other two which are both very sweet sheet cakes, this is a chocolate layer cake with just a tiny hint of Dr Pepper flavor.
Dr Pepper Chocolate Layer Cake
Dr Pepper Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams, aerate and stir or weigh
- 1 cup sugar 190 grams
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 200 grams
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder natural
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Dr Pepper not Diet
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 tablespoons butter softened, cut up
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola oil or any vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Silky Chocolate Butter Frosting:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup milk whole
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, salted or use unsalted plus ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 oz bittersweet chocolate melted and cooled — you can do this in microwave or over bowl set over simmering water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two shiny 9-inch cake pans with flour-added cooking spray or grease and flour using your favorite method.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Heat the Dr Pepper in a small saucepan over medium. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low, add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter. Set aside to cool for about10 minutes.
- With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla for 2 minutes. At lowest speed (or use a whisk if you prefer), slowly add the Dr Pepper mixture and beat for 1 additional minute. Gradually add the dry ingredients (flour mixture), and beat until smooth by hand or using medium to low speed of mixer.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, and bake for 30 to 38 (mine took 38) minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks, lift off pans and allow to cool completely before frosting. The frosting requires cooling time, so you may want to get started on that right away.
- For the frosting, off the heat, combine the sugar, flour and cocoa in a small saucepan. Gradually add milk and whisk until smooth.
- Put the mixture over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Reduce heat to low, cook 2 minutes, whisking all the while. Remove saucepan from heat; cool completely. This cooling period should take 40 minutes to an hour.
- In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually beat in cooled milk mixture, vanilla and melted chocolate. Note: If you do all the steps above and get a gooey mess, it’s probably because something was too warm. I’ve done this a couple of times in the past and the fix is to beat in the chocolate as directed, but put bowl in refrigerator for 30-40 minutes to chill. The chilled mixture will whip up into a delicious, silky frosting.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Anna
Wow, that sounds like an interesting combination.
Lindsey Kay
I am going to try this with Dandelion and Burdock instead of Dr.Pepper!
Patti
I LOVE to bake/cook and I’m just now discovering Dr. Pepper? Where have I been all these years (lots of them too)??? While doing the usual running around the house cleaning, cooking etc …I grabbed a dark chocolate Dove and popped it in my mouth then took a quick slerp of a Dr. Pepper. OMG if this is heaven I’m ready to go. It got me thinking that there must be a zillion recipes combining chocolate and Dr. Pepper. I have a new mission in life and it all centers around chocolate and Dr. Pepper 🙂 wish me luck!
Manda
Haha, I guess that’s what I would have to resort to!
Thanks a lot Anna~
Anna
Manda, sorry. I just wouldn’t use it, but I know how you feel about wanting to get rid of stuff or use things up. I like Diet Dr. Pepper. I would just drink it ;).
Manda
Well the reason why I’m inquiring is that I have this giant liter of Diet Dr. Pepper and thought I could use it this way; however if it’ll ruin the recipe, I won’t use it.
Anna
Hi Manda,
I love diet soda but I don’t bake with it. The calorie savings is only about 10 calories a slice and you risk adding bitter aftertaste to the cake. I bake with Splenda every so often for people who need it or if I’m trying to make something super low calorie, but some recipes work better than others. I do like Nutrasweet, but never bake with it because it can break down. The thought of heat-broken Nutrasweet bugs me. It might be perfectly fine, but I’ve drinken too many yucky heat-ruined Diet Cokes to know that heat really does something to it and that it doesn’t feel right.
Manda
Would Diet Dr. Pepper work? I’ve seen the first post stating no but then I scan some other recipes that state its just fine.
I would like to know before I ruin a recipe or simply just make a test cake I suppose.
lisa
I love chocolate to I could eat chocolate all day could you?
Dara
Made it for Father’s Day, and it received rave reviews all around. The only change I made was using dark cocoa. Thank you!
Anna
Happy Birthday!
brownie
omg i love chocolate, you guys should make me a big chocolate cake for my birthday.
bethmckee1
Wow I made this cake for a family birthday with about 40 people. They loved this cake. It was moist, chocolately, and delicious. I had a great time making it and frosting it was evem more fun. That frosting was luscious!
Anna
Sorry I’m slow in responding to comments. I was sick all day yesterday.
Kristin, I’ve never been to Marfa, but the Cibolo Creek Ranch is making me want to go.
Brenda, I haven’t ever had the Dublin Dr. Pepper. I don’t know if I’d waste a fancy Dr. Pepper on this cake because the Dr. Pepper flavor is very subtle.
Brenda
I love Dr Pepper and always wondered if there was a Dr Pepper cake (since there are a million Coke cake recipes). I’ll have to try this one! Have you ever had a Dr Pepper made at the plant in Dublin? They come in the orginal bottles. Super sweet but good! I have one in my fridge I could make this cake with..hmmmm.
Kristina W…I see you like to visit my part of Texas. I love the Davis Mountain area. I grew up in Pecos.
Kristin W
Liz also owns the Thunderbird Motel in Marfa, TX, which is one of my absolute favorite places in the entire world. I haven’t actually stayed at Thunderbird, though, because when I went I was seriously treating myself and stayed at the Cibolo Creek Ranch — http://www.cibolocreekranch.com — where I would like to retire and live for the rest of my life. Like, right now.
Claire
Okay, my dad loves Dr. Pepper and chocolate cake is his favorite. maybe next time I see him, I’ll have to make this cake for a belated birthday cake!
Amy
Chocolate cake is my fave dessert. That looks really good. Is Lambert’s close to Jo’s? We went there after the children’s museum a couple weeks ago. 2nd St. is becoming the hip spot to be!
Amy (Bunco) 🙂
carole
Never, never use any kind of diet soft drink in any type of cooking or baking.
The sweetening agent (whatever it might be) can become bitter when heated.