Thursday, May 14, 2009

Root Beer Bundt Cake

Maybe you do the same thing that I do. You get a new cookbook and you look through it once. Then you go and look at it again and pick out the 1 or 2 recipes that you have to make "right now" or at least by tomorrow.

The most interesting recipe I saw when I looked through my copy of Baked, was the Root Beer Bundt Cake. I must confess that I don't drink soda, pop or coke, daily, weekly or monthly even. But when I do have a carbonated drink, I go for Root Beer. It doesn't have to be a certain brand or anything like that, I just like it every once in awhile.
I had offered to make some cakes for a dinner and this cake looked like the perfect choice.
I read reviews that said the flavors tasted better if you let the cake sit overnight, but I didn't have time for that, so I made it, frosted it, and sent it away.
My 2-year old cleaned out the food processor that I made the frosting in and I took a little taste. Yummy. That was really good frosting. Some of the best I have ever tasted.
I didn't get to taste a piece of the cake, but those who did, gave it rave reviews.
Other reviews I have seen said that the actual root beer flavor is very faint, but it makes for a really moist, chocolately cake. And it looks gorgeous.


Root Beer Bundt Cake
- yields 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake
-Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
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
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 beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Topping
Vanilla ice cream
Procedure
For the root beer Bundt cake:1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray; alternatively, butter it, dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.
2. 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 the heat and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
4. 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.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife 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.
For the root beer frosting:
1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.
2. Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the Bundt in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving, with the ice cream on the side.
Coming Tomorrow- Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple and Tropical Salsa

15 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Looks like a great cake. I miss real Root Beer over here. They have something called Dandelion and Burdock which is supposed to be the same, but it really isn't . . . sigh.

Meghan said...

I was so interested to see this cake from the name - it is a beautiful cake. Guess you'll have to make it again so you can taste it! :)

Steph said...

The cake looks so good! I'm not a pop drinker either, but I love A&W root beer.. root beer floats are even better!

~~louise~~ said...

WOW Mary Ann that cake sure looks yummy! I'm not much of a soda drinker either but, I must confess given the choice root beer is my fave, ditto on the float.

You sure are brave sending the cake off without first sampling it. I could never do that, I'm not the best baker, LOL.

I'm going to "grab" this link for a Bundt Pan post I did a while back. Hope you don't mind and Thanks for sharing!!!

Karen said...

I like that root beer is in both the cake and the frosting. Looks so rich!

Anonymous said...

YUM! I looks great. I can't wait to try it. I almost bought root beer extract this weekend.

Eliana said...

You did a great job with this cake. it looks fantastic.

Aggie said...

I am the same way...not a soda drinker but when I do it's got to be root beer!! What a beautiful cake!

Maria said...

I haven't tried this one yet but I have heard good things!

Barbara Bakes said...

I've seen lots of recipes that call for root beer, but this is probably the yummiest!

Ghost Baker said...

Love the way you did the frosting :-)

Risa said...

Wow, this looks incredible. I have a friend that loves rootbeer and she would love this cake.

The Food Librarian said...

This looks fantastic! I've seen this in the blogosphere...and have been dying to make it. Root beer is one of my favorite sodas...for a non-soda drinker like me too.

What's for Supper? said...

We did like this chocolately cake...but the root beer flavor was lacking when I made it.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Mary Ann, I can't believe I haven't made this cake yet. I will some day, I guarantee it! In the mean time, I hope you don't mind if I "borrow" the link again. I just did a post for Charles Hires' birthday and I just needed to include this recipe! Thanks again. I am now officially putting it in my list of recipes to bake someday:)