Culinary Experiment #6: Chocolate Root Beer Cake

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I almost don’t even need to write a post about this recipe. The photos speak for themselves.

It’s chocolate and root beer. Bubbly, cocoa goodness baked in a cake.

Biting into this dessert, you can’t help but imagine that this cake is the  love-child of a glorious union between a chocolate milk shake and a root beer float.

The combination of chocolate and root beer sounds kind of simple. But there’s a layer of complexity to it that will intrigue most foodies. And that layer is made of brown sugar and allspice.

Not only does that layer deepen and intensify the flavor of the chocolate, it complements the root beer nicely and takes a one-dimensional cake with a cloying soda-pop sweetness and makes it just a touch savory, reminiscent of a spice cake.

That said, it may not be for everyone. And don’t go into making this cake with the expectation that it’ll taste really sweet. You’ll be disappointed…for a little while. And then you’ll keep eating it because the longer it sits the better it gets. And then you’ll share it with your friends and they’ll love it, which somehow makes you love it more too.

That’s what happened to me. I thought it would be just as sweet as one of those grocery store bakery cakes. It’s not. But it doesn’t matter, the flavor of this cake is so rich you fall in love with it anyway.

I don’t have very many notes for this recipe as I ended up following the recipe exactly, as I really wanted to taste this cake in its unadulterated form:

1. As the recipe notes, the batter will look lumpy. And to prove it, there’s a photo in the slideshow above that shows the batter in all its lumpy glory. Please don’t over-mix the batter just to get it perfectly smooth. You might ruin the texture of the cake that way.
2. I didn’t have a skewer or a chopstick on hand to poke holes into the cake. I just used a spoon. It worked fine since the longer the cake sits, the more the root beer soaks into the cake. And it will soak all the way through. This is a very moist cake.
3. Don’t worry if the glaze/icing turns out to be kind of drippy. It’s supposed to be that way. If you want a thicker icing, however, you’ll need to add more confectioner’s sugar. But beware, it might make the icing too sweet. If you want a topping that’s more spreadable, try whipped cream: It’s decorative, non-drippy, and has the right amount of sweetness.

Don’t forget to let me know what you thought of this post and the recipe. I’d love to hear your comments and questions!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

P.S.: I’d like to say thank you to  Jenelle of OneApron.com for posting this recipe!