Dr. Pepper Cake is the most delicious fudgy chocolate sheet cake with the rich flavor of Doctor Pepper in the cake and the chocolate glaze. The soda adds moisture and flavor to the cake, and it’s a fun way to enjoy your favorite soda as a dessert. This is a homemade Dr. Pepper cake recipe made with no cake mix!
The History of Doctor Pepper Cake:
Dr. Pepper was created in 1885 in Waco, Texas. It’s the oldest major soft drink brand in the United States! Cakes made with soda pop are fun, nostalgic desserts that were experimented with a lot by home bakers in the 1950’s and 60’s. 7-Up Biscuits were created along with 7-Up Cake and Coca Cola cake. This Texas-style chocolate sheet cake adds in the flavor of Dr. Pepper to create a Dr Pepper Cake. You often see recipes for this moist and tender cake in Southern community cookbooks.
Ingredients Needed:
- The Basics: All purpose flour, white sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
- Butter: I suggest using unsalted butter since you’ll be adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- Dr. Pepper: You will need two cans of Dr. Pepper for this recipe! Don’t use diet.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Just make sure you use the unsweetened baking cocoa instead of hot cocoa powder with sugar.
- Eggs: Use large eggs, and bring them to room temperature.
- Buttermilk: It tenderizes the cake. Buttermilk’s acidity reacts with baking soda or baking powder, creating carbon dioxide bubbles that make the cake soft and fluffy.
- Powdered Sugar: This is used for the glaze. Run it through a sifter to get rid of any lumps.
How to make a Dr. Pepper Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 13×9-in. baking pan with nonstick spray.
The first step is baking the cake. You do not need an electric mixer to make the cake batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a saucepan, heat one can of Dr. Pepper with the butter and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir into the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Then whisk it into the rest of the batter. Scrape the batter into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Set it aside to cool a bit while you make the glaze.
How to make Dr. Pepper Chocolate Glaze:
The next step is making the glaze. Add another can of Dr. Pepper to a saucepan. Boil it until it reduces to 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper “syrup.” It should take about 20 minutes or so. Then stir in the butter and cocoa powder; remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar. Pour this chocolately glaze over the warm cake. Some of it will sink into the cake, and some of it will remain on top.
Recipe Tips:
- Sprinkle nuts on top, if you’d like it to be more like a classic Texas sheet cake.
- Regular soda contains sugar, which helps with moisture and structure. Diet sodas, which use artificial sweeteners, may not provide the same texture, potentially making the cake drier or more crumbly. So skip the diet soda for this Dr. Pepper cake!
- Don’t use flat Dr. Pepper. The carbonation helps to create a light and fluffy cake.
- No buttermilk at home? No problem. To make homemade buttermilk, add 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Pour in whole or 2% milk to the top of the measuring cup. Stir, and let it sit for 10 minutes until it thickens and curdles. Now you have buttermilk!
- Serve individual slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Variations:
- Make Coca Cola cake or Root Beer cake using this same recipe and substituting the soda.
- For an easy peasy frosting, combine one 16-ounce tub of chocolate frosting with 1/4 cup Dr. Pepper. Spread over the top of the cake.
- Ditch the frosting and dust with powdered sugar instead.
- Make a “poke cake” version of Dr. Pepper Cake. Poke hole in the warm cake. Instead of frosting, combine 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and pour over the top of the cake.
What you will LOVE about this recipe:
- It’s super fudgy and delicious.
- I think you’ll enjoy that it’s a great chocolate cake recipe with a little bit of a different flavor because of the Dr. Pepper.
- It’s always a big hit for dessert. People will ask you for the recipe!
Dr. Pepper Cake
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- One 12-ounce can Dr. Pepper soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½1 teaspoons vanilla extract
GLAZE:
- One 12-ounce can Dr. Pepper soda
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into pieces
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
MAKE THE CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 13×9-in. baking pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a small saucepan, combine the Dr. Pepper, butter and cocoa powder; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended; add to flour mixture, whisking constantly.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside while you make the glaze.
ADD THE GLAZE:
- In a small saucepan, bring the Dr. Pepper to a boil; cook 20 to 25 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to ½ cup. Stir in the butter and cocoa powder until the butter is melted; remove from heat. Add the powdered sugar; stir until smooth. Pour over the warm cake.