Have you ever imagined turning your favorite soda into a cake? Well, I’ve done just that with this root beer float cake! I infused a classic yellow cake with real root beer and topped it with a root beer flavored frosting and scoops of whipped cream to create a cake that tastes just like a root beer float! This unique cake is so fun for birthday parties and backyard BBQs.
To give this root beer float cake its rich soda flavor, I swapped some of the water for real root beer and cooked down even more root beer into a rich glaze. You’ll be amazed at how much this cake tastes like the delicious soda!
What’s in This Root Beer Float Cake Recipe?
- Yellow Cake Mix: Makes this cake super easy to put together.
- Root Beer: Adding real soda to the cake infuses it with flavor. I also cooked down some root beer to create a glaze that keeps the cake moist and flavorful.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake moist and tender.
- Eggs: Bind the cake to give it structure.
- Root Beer Flavor: Enhances the soda flavor in the cake. I recommend LorAnn brand, but any kind will work.
- Butter: Unsalted butter forms the creamy base of the frosting.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the frosting and the whipped cream and also provides structure in both.
- Heavy Cream: Helps thin the frosting to a pipeable consistency and forms the fluffy base of the whipped cream topping.
- Salt: Kosher salt enhances the overall flavor of the buttercream.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a warm and sweet flavor to the whipped cream.
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How to Store
Store leftover root beer float cake tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Tips for Success
- Sometimes called root beer extract, you can find root beer flavoring in the baking aisle of the grocery store with all of the other extracts. Root beer’s complex flavor comes from sassafras roots. Modern-day rootbeer is often a combination of sassafras, wintergreen, vanilla, and warm spices.
- If you want this cake to have fewer calories, you can use diet root beer instead of traditional root beer.
- To save even more time, you can swap the homemade whipped cream topping for store-bought whipped cream of Cool Whip.
- You can use an ice cream scoop to add whipped cream to the center of the cake.
Root Beer Float Cake Recipe
Turn a flavorful beverage into a delicious dessert with this root beer float cake. It has a whipped topping with maraschino cherries too!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total Time
: 50 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 26.5 ounces yellow cake mix (2 boxes)
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup root beer
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons root beer flavor (2 drams LorAnn flavor)
For the Glaze
- 3 cups root beer
For the Frosting
- 1½ cups unsalted butter room temperature (3 sticks)
- 5½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons root beer flavor (2 drams LorAnn flavor)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Whipped Cream
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Maraschino cherries optional, for topping
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 2 8-inch Round Cake Pan
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Tip Set
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray them with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, water, root beer, vegetable oil, eggs, and root beer flavor.½ cup root beer, 1½ teaspoons root beer flavor
- Divide the cake batter between the two pans (about 600 grams per pan) and place into the oven to bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- While the cakes are baking, make the root beer glaze by placing the root beer into a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until it has reduced to ⅔ cup.3 cups root beer
- Once the cakes are baked, remove them from the oven. Let sit on a cooling rack for about 6 minutes before pouring the glaze over the surface of both of the layers.
- While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting by placing all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment. Let beat on low for about 1 minute, until the powdered sugar has started to incorporate, to prevent from flinging the powdered sugar out of the bowl. Increase speed to high and let beat for another 5-6 minutes or until a smooth frosting has formed. Place ½ cup of frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star tip.1½ cups unsalted butter, 5½ cups powdered sugar, ¼ cup heavy cream, 1½ teaspoons root beer flavor, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- To make the whipped cream, place all of the ingredients except for the cherries into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on high for 8 minutes or until a fluffy whipped cream has formed.⅔ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1½ cups heavy cream
- Once the cakes are cooled, remove one layer and place it onto a plate or cake stand. Spread about ⅓ cup of frosting over the surface of the cake. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting over the top then the sides. Smooth the sides and allow a “wall” to form at the top edge of the cake. Once the sides are smooth, pull the frosting wall in a circular motion towards the center of the top of the cake until the top is smoothed.
- One option for decorating this cake is to pipe swirls onto the top of the cake in a circle formation. Then pipe the frosting around the bottom edge of the side of the cake. You can leave the cake as is and serve. A different option for decorating this cake is to leave the swirls off of the top and to use an ice cream scoop to place scoops of whipped cream onto the center of the cake. Top with maraschino cherries and even decorative straws to add to the look of a root beer float.Maraschino cherries
- Once decorated, slice and serve!
Notes
Storage: Store root beer float cake tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Facts
Root Beer Float Cake Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 1071
Calories from Fat 477
% Daily Value*
Fat 53g82%
Saturated Fat 30g188%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 176mg59%
Sodium 712mg31%
Potassium 107mg3%
Carbohydrates 146g49%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 115g128%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 1544IU31%
Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
Calcium 208mg21%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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