[PickyPrincess]

This came from the website Dessert For Two and is one of our absolute favorites. Please don't let the use of Dr. Pepper throw you off, it's nothing like the soda-type cakes you see in the grocery stores, nor does it taste like Dr. Pepper.

For the cake:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process works best)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk (I never have buttermilk and have used everything from sour cream to yogurt whey with success)
• 1/4 cup Dr. Pepper (don't use diet)

For the frosting:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons Dr. Pepper
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

For our frosting, I double everything but the powdered sugar, and Dr. Pepper.

Steps

• Preheat the oven to 350, and grease a 6" round cake pan or spray with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer the butter and sugar until fluffy and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another small bowl, stir together the Dr. Pepper and buttermilk.
• Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until lightly combined. Add half of the buttermilk-soda mixture and continue beating. Add another third of the flour mixture, followed by the last of the buttermilk-soda mixture. Finally, add the last of the flour mixture and beat until combined.
• Scrape the batter into the cake pan, and bake on a baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with only a few crumbs clinging and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Once you pull the cake from the oven, begin making the icing (and not a minute before).

In a small bowl, melt the butter, cocoa powder and Dr. Pepper in the microwave. Once the butter is melted and the mixture slightly bubbles, pour in the powdered sugar and little at a time, whisking vigorously by hand. When all the powdered sugar is incorporated, pour the warm frosting over the warm cake. Let cool slightly before serving.

 

[Wooleybooger]

I never have buttermilk either and to buy it well most of it gets thrown out. I use this. For your recipe I think I'd make 1/4 cup and toss what wasn't used. The stuff works fine for me in cornbread and pancake/waffles.

 

[PickyPrincess]

I never have buttermilk either and to buy it well most of it gets thrown out. I use this. For your recipe I think I'd make 1/4 cup and toss what wasn't used. The stuff works fine for me in cornbread and pancake/waffles.

I did just read today, I think over on King Arthur, that you can freeze buttermilk. I had no idea.🤷

 

[Wooleybooger]

I did just read today, I think over on King Arthur, that you can freeze buttermilk. I had no idea.🤷

Really, nor I. I don't use enough of it to do that I think. Currently I'm using mixes for pancakes and biscuits. Not cornbread though.

 

[Two knots]

Yes, I freeze buttermilk in one cup containers, I also bought the dry buttermilk on Amazon…
i‘ll give your recipe a whirl Princess, but, why not diet soda?
I also freeze milk…it works out fine.

 

[Wooleybooger]

That SACO dry buttermilk should be available at Walmart. At least that's where I got it.

 

[PickyPrincess]

i‘ll give your recipe a whirl Princess, but, why not diet soda?

Diet Dr Pepper and regular Dr Pepper are completely different flavors. The lady that wrote the recipe doesn't state why you shouldn't use diet, but altering the taste of the cake might be the main reason.

Diet soda uses artificial sweeteners and I know when baking with artificial sweeteners you have to take that into account in your recipes or they can taste "not right".

I imagine one could give the diet soda a try and see what happens but it's such a small amount used that I've not seen the need to try it with diet.