Root Beer Cake

Oh Boy is this cake good and very moist. I can be done in a bundt pan or 8" round cake pans. You can't really taste the root beer, it just gives it a little something special but you can't really figure it out unless you know!!!

Root Beer Bundt Cake
from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

For the bundt cake:

2 cups root beer (not 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 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray, or butter and flour it.

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 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 knife (or toothpick) comes out clean.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

Root Beer Fudge Frosting

2 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth. (Note: I do not have a food processor so I just used an hand mixer which worked fine.)

Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the bundt in a thick layer.

Let the frosting set before serving. Serve with ice cream on the side (I recommend Vanilla).