Go Back
–+ servings
drpappercake3
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Dr. Pepper Cake

It is an Old Fashioned Dr. Pepper Cake and is one of the most FLAVORFUL cakes you will ever try! Don’t let the ingredients scare you. 
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time34 minutes
Total Time59 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: birthday cake, chocolate cake, dr pepper cake
Servings: 8
Author: Amanda Rettke

Ingredients

Cake

  • ½ cup prunes, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup Dr. Pepper soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks, 226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (30g) cocoa powder
  • ½ cup (118g) boiling water
  • ½ cup (120g) buttermilk
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (256g) all-purpose flour
  • 1⅓ cups (267g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon all spice

Frosting

  • 4 cups Dr. Pepper soda
  • 1½ cups (3 sticks or 339g) butter
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2½ cups (312g) confectioners' sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Cake

  • Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans with pan release or butter & flour.
  • Add prunes and dried cherries to medium saucepan. Pour in 1 cup of Dr. Pepper, then bring it to a slow boil over medium heat.
  • Cook for 5 minutes. Then, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool for about 20 minutes.
  • Boil ½ cup water. In a microwave-safe dish, melt butter. Add cocoa to melted butter then add in boiling water. Whisk together until smooth, set aside.
  • In small bowl add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add flour, sugar, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
  • With mixer on low, add in cocoa mixture.
  • Pour in buttermilk mixture.
  • Slowly pour in Dr. Pepper mixture and blend until fully combined.
  • This batter was about 5 cups, so I evenly divided it into two 8-inch pans. (2½ cups per pan)
  • Bake for 30-34 minutes or until cake has pulled away from the edges and slightly cracked on top.

Frosting

  • Boil 4 cups of Dr. Pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat until it has reduced to about 1/2 cup (20 to 25 minutes). (I actually had my temp on medium-high and reduced the soda for about 1 hour). Set aside to cool completely.
  • Add butter to mixer and then add in ginger, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla.
  • Mix on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.
  • With the mixer on low, add in Dr. Pepper reduction and blend completely. Spread over cooled cake.

Video