Root Beer Bundt Cake with Chocolate Root Beer Frosting
When I was a young girl, the end of summer arrived with a mixed bag of emotions. My birthday often fell over the three day Labor Day weekend so along with the excitement of cake and presents came the melancholy feelings as summer days were fading and a new school year was about to begin. The carefree days of summer and the evenings when we played outside long past the twinkling of the firefly’s glow would be suspended for nine long months. Funny how all these years later that same somber feeling creeps in with the arrival of the first Monday in September.
Once I emotionally shift from summer to autumn, I passionately embrace the new season. It is my favorite by far. There’s apple picking, and pumpkins, and Halloween, and the changing trees as their foliage drifts from green to the warmer colors of fall. Baking takes on a new energy once the days grow shorter and cooler and I find myself more often in my kitchen.
You might ask what a Root Beer Bundt Cake has to do with this post. Well, mostly nothing except I was determined to make it before summer came to an end. Goal reached! And, although the Michaels, Joanns and HomeGoods of the world have been brimming over with fall decorations for weeks now, I refuse to exit summer prematurely and post apple and pumpkin recipes here on my blog. With this cake I ceremoniously take the leap from one season to the next.
This root beer cake created by Carla Hall and published in King Arthur’s ‘Sift’ magazine, is a twist on her grandmother’s Coca Cola Cake. Carla creatively subbed in root beer for the cola. Ginger, cinnamon and star anise lend a warm essence to the cake and make it the perfect recipe to make the transition from summer to fall. Enjoy this cake year round with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for a Root Beer Float re-imagined!!!
Root Beer Cake with Chocolate Root Beer Frosting
Cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground star anise
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) root beer
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh giner
Frosting:
1/4 cup (2 ounces) root beer
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground star anise
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan, or a 9×13-inch pan.
Cake:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and spices. In a medium saucepan, bring the root beer, butter, and cocoa powder to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, then mix into the flour mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract and grated ginger and stir into the flour mixture.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes for a bundt cake, 30-35 minutes for a 9×13-inch cake, until the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the pan and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, before turning out of the pan to cool completely.
Frosting:
Bring the root beer to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and cocoa powder, stirring until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, then whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, spices, and salt until smooth and glossy. Whisk in additional root beer (at room temperature) if the frosting is too thick, or more confectioners’ sugar if the frosting is too thin. Pour over the top of the cake while still slightly warm.
You’re braver than I am, I’m not ready to ease into autumn yet…. But by the end of September I’ll cave, the apples and pumpkins will be too hard to resist. Star anise is a personal favorite, making this cake very appealing. With a chocolate root beer frosting too! A lovely cake for late summer.
The cake looks amazing. I also love the photos and how you use light and shadow. The root beer glasses in the background are such a fun touch!
Having been lucky enough to taste this cake, I can confirm that it is even more delicious than it looks !
Gorgeous, Mary! I, too, miss the summer days of our childhoods. At last here in Southern California, summer lingers for a while. But by Oct. first, I’m all about Autumn!
xo