Dr Pepper Cake Recipe
This delicious Dr Pepper Cake is just what the doctor ordered.
Sugar, butter, chocolate, Dr. Pepper … enough said?
Almost.
My daughter is a big Dr. Pepper fan, so I had to try my own version of the chocolate cakes I’ve seen here and there with either Coke or Dr. Pepper added. And boy am I glad I tried it. This Dr Pepper Cake? It’s a must do. Rich and moist, and oh, so easy – there’s no excuse not to try it at least once. Just make sure you’ve got a group to bake it for, because it’s dangerous to have leftovers hanging around.
One of the things I like about this cake is the ease at which it comes together. Seriously simple. It bakes in 20-25 minutes and it’s gone in 10. All ingredients are combined in a saucepan and poured directly into a 13x9x2″ baking pan. Speaking of ingredients, for both the cake batter and frosting, I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder. It’s good stuff. I hope you can find some.
The process is fairly straight forward: Begin by combining the Dr. Pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a simmer, mix well and remove from heat. Mix dry ingredients together (sugar, flour and baking soda), add to saucepan and mix to combine. You don’t need to beat the heck out of it. It will be a little lumpy at first but just mix well until combined. In a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together then add them to the saucepan. Combine batter well and pour into a greased baking pan and bake at 350-degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.
The frosting works the same way. Combine butter, cocoa powder and milk together in a saucepan, over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time, combining after each addition until smooth. Pour frosting over warm cake. Yum.
While the frosting is mighty yummy, I think the cake is quite tasty without it, or maybe just with a little dusting of powdered sugar and a tall glass of milk. So what are you waiting for? Go grab a Dr. Pepper and get to work! Enjoy! And let me know how it turns out.
Looking for more chocolate recipes? Here are a few that we enjoy:
- Flourless Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Espresso Glaze
- Easy Chocolate Biscotti Recipe
Dr Pepper Cake Recipe
Dr. Pepper Cake Recipe
A delicious chocolate cake with warm frosting made with dark chocolate and Dr. Pepper.
Ingredients
For cake:
- 1 1/2 cup Dr. Pepper soda
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 stick salted butter (8 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder (again, I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
For frosting:
- 1 stick salted butter (8 tablespoons)
- 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 8 tablespoons milk
- 4 cups confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
Instructions
For cake:
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F and grease or spray with cooking spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
- Begin by combining the Dr. Pepper, oil, butter and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a simmer, mix well and turn stove off.
- Mix dry ingredients together (sugar, flour and baking soda), add to mixture in saucepan and mix well, by hand. Don’t over beat. DO NOT OVER BEAT.
- In a separate small bowl lightly beat the eggs and buttermilk together, then add them to the saucepan and combine batter well by hand, but again, do not over beat.
- Pour into a greased baking pan and bake at 350-degrees for approx. 23-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.
For frosting:
- In a saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder and milk together over medium heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time, combining after each addition until smooth.
- Pour over warm cake.
- Lock all the doors, draw the shades, don’t answer the phone and get the milk.
Updated January 18, 2015. Originally posted March 9, 2010.
I’m tickled that you’re here! Like you, I wear many hats, and live to tell about it. This space is a place for sharing food, home, garden, travel and lifestyle tidbits, with some fun always thrown in for good measure.
HoooBoy, does that look yummy! The idea of using Dr. Pepper is tantalizing.
I am drooling just lookin @ the pics. I know what I’m adding to *my* grocery list tomorrow!
I’ve made a root beer cake, and have seen lots of Coke cakes. This one sounds even better!
Dadgum! Too bad I don’t but soda 🙂 Poor Monkeys will be missing out. Well…I might make an exception in this case.
Anything chocolate works for me. Do you deliver? ;>)
I keep saying YUM every time I see this cake. I have gotta to make one soon! Lovely clicks.
I’ve tried this with the Coke, but it sounds amazing with the Dr Pepper!!! Looks delicious too!
I have bookmarked this recipe as I’m sure it would be a huge hit at my house. YUM.
What are you ladies trying to do to me? I just finished printing off Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie recipe (with ganache!) from Tidy Mom recommended by the Nester. Now this. My hips. Oh. My hips.
oh sakes alive, (thats what my grandma would say) I am so glad the doctor actually ordered this, otherwise I would almost think it was indulgent….I love this! I love pdubs apple dumpling recipe with mtn dew. I KNOW I will try this specifically because my hubby digs Dr Pepper. Thanks doll!
Well, I’ll be darned. I’ve heard of Coca-Cola cakes and 7-Up cakes, but I have never ever heard of a Dr. Pepper cake. I know a bunch of folks who are Dr. Pepper fans who are gonna flip out over this one. Guess what we’ll be having for dessert this weekend.
you had me at Dr. Pepper. Then you had me again at Dark Chocolate. Goodness gracious this looks and sounds amazing!
Have you tested this one using diet soda? I wonder if it would work with the extra carbonation in the diet…
My dad and brother love Dr. Pepper, I will have to give this cake a try next time I see them!
Dr. Pepper?!In cake?! That is awesome!!!!
i knew dr pepper was magical, but i had no idea its powers were so strong! this cake is almost unbelievably moist. bless your heart for providing some tremendous pictures of this delight, as well as the recipe. 🙂
Drool!
Looks extremely hard to resist. That is the way to do calories!
Also, your photos rock. Love the white border. Will be showing up some day to steal your camera.
Happy munching!
Oh My Gosh! This looks awesome!!! I’m gonna have to give this one a shout-out on my Blog and link my readers over here for this one!!! Sounds like a recipe EVERYBODY needs to have in their arsenal for family get-togethers and Holidays!!! I think I know what I’m making for dessert tonight now!!! Thank you 🙂
Oh this sounds soooo good! I think I’ve made a coke cake before, but it wasn’t quite like this…….adding it to my MUST MAKE list!!
Thanks!
Oh me oh my! I’m not a huge soda lover, but root beer and dr. pepper are my soda of choice. I can’t imagine how this tastes! Your photos are making me drool!
Looks amazing! Definitely adding it to my arsenal of chocolate cake recipes! 🙂
I followed this recipe to the letter, it has been in the oven for 40 minutes now. Why is it not firming up? At 25 minutes it was chocolate soup. I just set the timer for 10 more minutes. I know my oven is true because I have a thermometer inside relying on it as well as the thermometer on the oven. Wonder why?? It looks like such a yummy recipe. Smells heavenly but I’m going on 50 minutes now.
thunja,
I have no idea. I’ve made it several times and it’s totally done at about 23 1/2 minutes to be exact – every time. Two others I know have made it today and had no problems.
I’m sorry you had problems – it’s a great cake that everyone should enjoy at least once!
~ Amy
Is the flour all purpose or plain?
Thanks,
Sandy
The flour is all-purpose flour.
I’m making it just now and I’m at 30 minutes as of now. Doubt it will be ready after the timer is done. I’m making it for a party which i will now be late to
I had the same problem and the cake burned at the top. I cooked mine in a glass pan. I poked some holes in the cake and put most of the frosting on it while it was still hot. I then added the rest after the cake was cooled. It turned out great. You would never have known the top of the cake was once dry. It was a big hit.
Glass pans will bake foods much faster so the baking temperature needs to be adjusted. Reduce the baking temperature by 25-degrees to 325-degrees F.
I am gonna give this a try tomorrow but I plan on making it for a teacher’s luncheon later this month. I’ll post back what the teacher’s think. Sounds SO GOOD!!! I LOVE Dr. Pepper!
That’s kerazy! But interesante. I’m definitely going to have to try it out. Thanks for the inspiration!
I could tell by the pic alone that it is a great cake, I have no idea what went wrong but it was a complete disaster. After 55 minutes I pulled it,the edges were clearly done but the center not so much. I gave it about 7 minutes then poured the glaze on top. It LOOKED good. About an hour and a half later we cut it and there was puddle in the pan. This morning the section where we took the samples from was full of chocolate syrup. Sad. I have gone over the recipe many times now- clueless of as to what was not done properly. I love to cook and do every day. I make breakfast, pack lunches, plan nightly meals. I am so hard on myself when I flub something up. I start doing the math. This is my first flub of 2010 and I just gotta get over it and expect to have a few more. (not if I can help it) I shall over come!!! 😉 Looking forward to more recipes keep ’em coming. I noticed you on Tasty Kitchen. all the best. Laura
I don’t even like Dr. Pepper and the looks of that cake is making my mouth water! Super-yummy looking!
OK SO I MADE THIS TREAT THIS WEEK FOR MY FAMILY AFTER ONE EARLIER BAKING DISASTER. i THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE EASY WHICH IT WAS BUT I FAILED TO READ THE BLOG FIRST, IF SO I WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED THE FROSTING. IT MADE THE CAKE TOO SUGARY AND PLAIN WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT. SOMEONE PLEASE COME EAT THE REST OF IT!
Hey Skull Diva Cooks!
Totally agree with ya but my daughter loves it with frosting. Next time I make it I’ll do half frosted and half plain. It’s good cake on it’s own.
~ Amy
popping in to wish you a happy Friday!
thunja — Sounds like your oven wasn’t hot enough when you put in the cake. You might want to invest in an oven thermometer (they are cheap – mine came from Wal-Mart). Don’t trust the little light on the oven to tell you when it’s hot. Hang the thermometer in the middle of the oven and check it before you put in a cake.
For those who didn’t like the frosting — scrape it off and send it to me!
I have made this cake with Coke many times. Looking forward to trying the Dr. Pepper variation!
LinC-
I do have an oven thermometer, (I did mention that in my first post) It is a Taylor (not pricey) that I bought@ Crate & Barrel but you are right about the fact that one should not rely on the oven readout.(I learned that years ago) My oven does not have a little light signal it has an actual temp as in digital numerals but I do not rely on that. I am confident that my oven temp is true. I am guessing that it was something to do with an error that I somehow made with ingredients- which still baffles me ’cause I always pre-measure all my ingredients before I start. Anywhooo, it’s another day and I am moving on to a new dessert.:) …maybe PW’s apple dumplings.
Ok, so I made this on Wednesday and followed your directions WORD FOR WORD and it turned out AMAZING!!! Perfection. I did sift my flour, and also baked for about 25-30 mins until toothpick inserted into center was clean. I let sit for a bit before I made the frosting, then I prepared the frosting and poured over warm cake. Then I let THAT sit for a couple hours before slicing.
Again, dee-lish!
Steph
thank you for the recipe!
what caught my eye and got me to try it were the last words on the recipe, “Lock all the doors, draw the shades, don’t answer the phone and get the milk.” too funny!
i made two pans yesterday; one for work and one for church.
co-workers reviews: “very moist”,”sweet”,”wonderful with a cold glass of milk”,”more a rich brownie than cake”
I just made this cake today. It is scrumptious! However, I had some issues with baking it as well. I ended up baking it for more like 45 minutes, and even after that long, the middle was a bit batter-y. But I also have a roast in the oven, which has a lot of liquid in it (and is uncovered), so I think this is probably why it didn’t quite work out for me. The cake did come out fine in the end (other than being a little soft in the middle) and my husband, sister and I drooled and grinned as we wolfed it down!
p.s. – I’ve been sick this week and wanted to tell you that you’re right… It WAS just what the doctor ordered. 😉
I just finished making this cake and my finance can not wait to get his paws on it. I changed a couple things…mainly because the sooner I can eat the better.
The verdict is that the Dr. knows best. It is delicious!!!
I am a sucker for pop and if I could drink it with all the time I would. Now I am tempted to add pop to all my recipes! You have opened a new can of worms.
Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Oh, I know how this taste. I’ve made it before but with coke and a tad bit of cinnamon. For chocolate cake it actually tastes pretty darn good, which is saying a lot for someone who isn’t keen on chocolate let alone a cake full of it.
~ingrid
Wowza! I’m having my rugrat make this so I can smell it. It may need to be a cheat day on my diet plan…..just a small slice…..and then off to the gym! Once I meet my goal weight I will be making it again and having an extra nice (read: LARGE) slice.
Thanks for sharing!!
Wooaaaa ! I am so hungry right now >_< !
But this is perfect, I was looking for a Dr Pepper cake to make to my partner (his birthday is in 2 days and he loves Dr Pepper), and this cake looks really yummy. But I have a little question. He doesn't like when it is too sweety, so usually I divide the sugar part in two, do you think it will be okay with this recipe ? I do not want to ruin this awesome cake 🙂 .
Thanks anyway for posting this recipe and these beautiful photos !
Dr. Pepper-aholic!
This looks amazing!
Sharing this with my Facebook friends!
Wowee! Tried this tonight for a bonfire night party (5th November, I’m English!) and it went down a treat 😀 My cake didn’t turn out as fluffy, it was more like a well-baked brownie, but delicious!!
Do you think this would work in a bundt pan?
This cake looks absolutely amazing 🙂 I might use this recipe for a friends birthday, but I want to make cupcakes, whats a good estimate time/and/temperature for the cupcakes to bake?
I just made a similar cake to this, but it was vanilla vegan Dr. Pepper cupcakes. I baked it at 350 for 16 minutes and it came out great!
Made cake pops with this cake recipe and a dr. pepper frosting recipe from another site. Turned out AMAZING!!! I always cut the sugar in 1/2 with scratch recipes because I don’t like it TOO sweet, turned out perfect that way and i’m saving this recipe to use in the future, very yum!!
Very good but very rich in flavor. I made one with dark Cocoa and one with regular cocoa. I also recommend special dark cocoa, the regular flavored cocoa is much too sweet.
What is Dr. Pepper? Im from South Africa – dont know. thanks.
It’s a carbonated drink with a hint of spice.
do I use white sugar for this recipe or brown sugar
do I use white sugar or brown sugar for this recipe
I love this idea! I’ve seen soda + boxed cake mixes, which are meh. But soda + homemade cake? I’m so there! My boyfriend loooves Dr. Pepper, so this is definitely one to make in the near future 🙂
It would be a perfect cake for your Valentine on Valentine’s Day!
Yum! I’ll take a slice please! Looks fantastic!!!
Come on up! I’ll have a slice waiting.
We have a lot of Dr. Pepper fans in this house. My boys will love this. (Me too!) Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh, my!!! I am a huge Dr. Pepper fan, so this is a definite must make for sure!! It looks amazing!!!
This is on my weekly baking list now! I’m thinking the Doc P must be amazing in this creation of yours Amy ❤️
Tried this recipe today and followed instructions to the T but the cake did not rise beyond 3/4″. The frosting was also very soupy. The only positive was that the cake was moist and very good tasting.
Hi there! I made this for the first time today, and it’s also my first time making a cake recipe on the stove (if that makes sense). With the glaze being poured on hot, is it supposed to soak through the cake? It seemed like an awful lot of glaze. When I went to sample a piece, the leftover glaze pooled at the bottom of the pan. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious! I just wanted to make sure I did everything right 🙂 thanks!
Since the cake may be still warm and the frosting is warm, yes it will soak a bit into the cake and pool in the bottom like that. If you’d rather it not, you can let the cake totally cool, and let the frosting/glaze cool down quite a bit.
okay, thank you! and thank you for the speedy reply!
You’re welcome, Rebecca.
I followed the recipe exactly…even with the special dark cocoa powder, and it came out great!! I do have a thermometer in my oven–it’s at least 40 years old and can be temperamental!! I turned off the oven at 23 minutes and let it sit for a few more just because my toothpick wasn’t completely clean. I made it to celebrate our friends’ 40th anniversary–Texas couple, so Dr. Pepper was an ideal ingredient. Thanks for posting–I am sure I’ll be sharing the link and will be asked to make it again!!
I hope y’all enjoyed it, Cheryl!
Could you also use Dr Pepper in the frosting instead of the milk? This would give it even more flavor.
Hi
I am in New Zealand
Sorry for my ignorance but what exactly is Dr Pepper?
Is there a substitute that I can use in New Zealand?
Thanks Suzy
It is sort of similar to root beer. A dark cola can be substituted.
Has anyone tried this with diet Dr. Pepper? I don’t have any regular at the moment!
Is it Plain flour or self-raising flour and is it granulated or caster sugar used
Use all-purpose flour (plain flour) and granulated sugar.
Great but too much frosting, I’d halve it next time.
I just made this and it came out very moist but it had no “Dr Pepper” flavor. And I thought it could use a little salt as well.
Can this be made a day before? If so what is your suggestion on storing it?
Yes it can be made a day before. Cover and store at room temperature.
The cake turned out pretty well for the most part. The frosting on the other hand was a bit too sweet, so i ended up drizzling half of it over the cake. I give this recipe a 7 out of 10. Will be making this again in the future ???? thanks for sharing ????
Mine was great until it cooled than it sunk in the middle, Any suggestions????