Root Beer Buddies…

I’ve bragged about Risa before.  Yes, she has an awesome blog, and yes, she bakes awesome goodies.  But, have we talked about what an awesome friend she is?  Getting to finally meet Risa this past Labor Day was uber-exciting—it was like we’d known each other forever.  In fact, chances are, you can find us chatting at various times throughout the day—everyday—on gchat.

Risa and I recently invested in similar baking books so that we could inspire each other to “make the most” of each book.  We’ll be having our own bake-alongs a couple of times per month.  This week, we needed something quick, easy, and of course, dee-licious.  (Side note: if it takes us as long to decide upon recipes as it did this week, we won’t be able to label any recipe as “quick.”)

Our book choice: the ever-trusty Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.  Our cake choice: the Root Beer Bundt Cake.  You simply must make this cake…um, NOW.  While the root beer flavor isn’t pronounced, there’s a certain “je ne sais quoi” about the cake—an extra tang, a kooky bite that is both surprising and enticing.  Yes, enticing.  Todd and I have been devouring this cake since Friday night, and there’s only one measly piece left in the kitchen right now.  That’s right: an entire bundt cake consumed in almost four nights flat.

The cake is rich and oh-so moist, dense without being too heavy, perfectly chocolatey and indulgent.  And the root beer fudge frosting—amazing.  I want to go for a swim in this frosting; it’s a small wonder that I didn’t scrape the frosting off the cake to eat it by itself—it’s that good, and that easy!

Make sure to go check out Risa’s blog to see how her Root Beer Bundt turned out!

Without further ado, the recipe:

 

Root Beer Bundt Cake

from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

 

For the bundt cake:

2 cups root beer (not diet)

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 (*I used light, and it worked just fine…)

2 cups AP flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

(1) Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray, or butter and flour it.

(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 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 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small knife (or toothpick) comes out clean.

(6) Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.  Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

 

Root Beer Fudge Frosting

2 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup root beer

2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

(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.

(3) Let the frosting set before serving.  Serve with ice cream on the side.

*For a looser frosting that you can pour over the cake, decrease the amount of powdered sugar.