Dr. Pepper Cake

This Dr. Pepper cake is so tasty, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without this secret ingredient!

You’ve probably heard of people adding coffee to make their cake taste better. But believe it or not, Dr. Pepper works like a charm, too.

It’s the magic ingredient that will make your chocolate cake a cut above the rest.

Don’t worry, it won’t taste like soda at all! All Dr. Pepper does is to enhance the flavor of the chocolate, making it taste 100 times better.

Looking for a fool-proof way to bake a chocolate cake? Dr. Pepper is the answer. Try it, and I guarantee it will blow your taste buds away.

Dr. Pepper Cake

Dr. Pepper, along with other sodas, isn’t just made for drinking. It’s good for eating, too, and this cake is proof.

Thanks to Dr. Pepper, this cake is ultra-moist, fudgy, and decadent. And it’s so delicious, too!

Apart from sweetness, the soda also has hints of cherry, vanilla, licorice, nutmeg, and more flavors, to boot. 

Ingredients

Cake

• Butter – You need not soften it beforehand! You’ll melt it along with other ingredients anyway, so it’s okay to use it straight from the fridge.
• Dr. Pepper – It’s called Dr. Pepper cake for a reason! Dr. Pepper serves as the liquid that makes the cake super moist and loaded with flavor. Since it is carbonated, it also helps the cake rise. It has so many useful properties!
• Cocoa Powder – Use unsweetened cocoa powder. Regular or Dutch-process both work well. If you want a darker cake with a deeper flavor, use dark cocoa powder.  
• Cinnamon – For that subtle hint of spice. 
• Flour – The base of the cake. All-purpose flour is fine.
• Granulated Sugar – To sweeten the cake. 
• Eggs – To bind the ingredients together. It makes the cake light and fluffy too.
• Buttermilk – For maximum moisture and flavor.
• Baking Soda – The leavening agent responsible for making the cake rise.
• Vanilla – It deepens the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.

Icing

• Butter – You can use salted butter to contrast the sweetness of the icing.
• Dr. Pepper – It’s the star of the cake, after all!
• Cocoa Powder – Use unsweetened cocoa powder since you’ll be adding a lot of powdered sugar, anyway.
• Powdered Sugar – 3 cups! It’s a lot, but it’s what gives the icing that firm, pipeable consistency. You can lessen the sugar if you want a thinner frosting.
• Chopped Nuts – Pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews – take your pick!

Tips for the Best Cake

Do not over-mix the batter. This will create more air bubbles than needed in the batter, which will yield a dry, dense cake. 

To check for doneness, use the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake.

It should come out clean or with bits of dry crumbs sticking to it. If the batter is still wet, check again in 5 minutes.

This recipe calls for butter for a rich and fluffy cake. But if you want an extra moist and fudgy cake, I highly recommend oil.

The cake will already be flavorful anyway, thanks to the cocoa powder and frosting.

Don’t skip the cooking! Unlike most cakes, this recipe calls for heating the wet ingredients before adding the dry.

This is the key to making the cake super fudgy! The same is true for the frosting.

Let the cake cool before frosting! Otherwise, the glaze will just melt. Also, you’ll want the glaze to harden before you slice.

For a more stable frosting, add more powdered sugar. For a thinner glaze, add more Dr. Pepper.

No buttermilk? No problem. You can substitute a cup of buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar in a measuring cup and filling the rest of it with milk.

Let it sit for 10 minutes, and voila. Your DIY buttermilk is ready!

How to Store the Cake 

Dr. Pepper Cake can be stored either at room temperature or in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days. Either way, store it in an air-tight container to keep it from drying out. 

I prefer eating this cake at room temperature, so I suggest you take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.

If you want the cake to last longer than 5 days, you can always freeze it. Just let the cake, with the icing, flash freeze for 1 to 2 hours, or until it hardens.

Double wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and free for up to 6 months.

To thaw, place the cake in the fridge overnight. It should be ready to be devoured the following day. 

Variations and Add-ins 

What I love about Dr. Pepper Cake is that as flavorful as it already is, there are still several ways to amp it up.

This cake is already chocolatey, but there’s no such thing as too much chocolate! So go ahead, load the batter with mini-chocolate chips!

The chocolate will melt during baking, making your cake extra moist and fudgy. 

You can also add more flavor to the cake by adding a bit of almond extract. Its unique flavor will make your cake stand out even more!

Not a fan of Dr. Pepper? No worries, you can use other types or brands of soda as well. Try using Coke, Sprite, or even Root Beer! 

If you don’t like soda in your cake at all, you can use a cup of coffee instead. Just like soda, coffee does a magnificent job in enhancing the flavor of chocolate.