Name: Dr. Pepper Cake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Southern American
Ingredients: Cake:; 1 box German chocolate cake mix (15.25 oz); or from scratch:; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp salt; Wet Ingredients:; 3 large eggs; 1¼ cups Dr Pepper soda (regular, not diet); ⅓ cup vegetable oil; ½ cup mini chocolate chips; Hot Chocolate Frosting:; ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter; ⅓ cup whole milk; ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 2½ cups powdered sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ⅓ cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Hi, I’m Sam from dishfoody.com, where comforting classics get a fresh twist. Dr. Pepper Cake delivers ultra-moist chocolate sheet cake infused with fizzy soda tang and rich cocoa topped with warm fudgy frosting that seeps into every bite.

This Texas-style crowd-pleaser serves 15 in 45 minutes perfect potluck or game day winner.

Why This Recipe Works

Dr. Pepper’s 23 flavors add cherry prune subtle complexity beyond plain cola. Soda reacts with baking soda creating instant lift tender crumb. Boiling soda butter cocoa builds intense chocolate base emulsifying batter. Warm frosting penetrates hot cake self-icing genius. Pecans optional crunch contrast.

Ingredients & Prep

Cake: 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup Dr. Pepper room temperature, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 stick butter, ¼ cup cocoa powder, 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla. Frosting: ½ stick butter, ¼ cup cocoa, 6 tbsp Dr. Pepper, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup pecans chopped optional.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat oven 350°F. Grease 9×13 pan. Boil Dr. Pepper oil butter cocoa saucepan 2 minutes smooth cool slightly. Whisk sugar flour baking soda. Beat eggs buttermilk vanilla. Combine wet dry just mixed pour pan. Bake 25-30 minutes toothpick clean. Five minutes before done boil frosting ingredients whisk powdered sugar vanilla smooth. Pour over hot cake spread pecans. Cool completely.

Flavor Variations

Variation Key	Add/Swap	Resulting Twist
Root Beer Float	Dr. Pepper root beer	Vanilla cream
Cherry Coke	Coke + cherry extract	Retro diner
Mexican Coke	Cane sugar Coke	Authentic caramel
Spiced Rum	Dark rum soak	Boozy adult

Storage Tips

Room temperature covered 4 days. Freeze 3 months excellent Super Bowl prep. Frosting holds moisture.

FAQs

Dense texture? Flat soda won’t lift use fresh fizz. Frosting grainy? Sift powdered sugar hot liquids dissolve. Too sweet? Reduce sugar ¼ cup cocoa unsweetened.

Conclusion

Dr. Pepper Cake transforms soda can into chocolate legend moist fudgy addictive perfection.

Dr. Pepper Cake Recipe

Print Recipe

Dr Pepper Cake delivers ultra-moist chocolate sheet cake perfection with signature cola tang cutting through fudgy richness. Warm pourable chocolate-pecan frosting cascades into poked holes for candy-like chew. Vintage Texas sheet cake evolution with unique cherry-cola depth. Ultimate Pinterest potluck dessert board champion.

Author: ssam
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 15–18 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Oven
Cuisine: Southern American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

Cake:
1 box German chocolate cake mix (15.25 oz)
or from scratch:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1¼ cups Dr Pepper soda (regular, not diet)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ cup mini chocolate chips
Hot Chocolate Frosting:
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
⅓ cup whole milk
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup chopped pecans (toasted)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 350°F. Grease 9×13 baking pan.
2. Combine cake mix (dry pudding mix if using) + eggs + Dr Pepper + oil. Beat 2 mins medium speed.
3. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Pour into pan.
4. Bake 30-35 mins until toothpick clean (slight center dip normal).
5. While baking: Boil butter + milk + cocoa 2 mins, whisking constantly.
6. Remove heat. Whisk in powdered sugar + vanilla until smooth.
7. Stir in pecans. Pour immediately over hot cake.
8. Spread to edges. Let set 30 mins minimum.

Notes

Dr Pepper > Coke = unique cherry-vanilla depth.
German chocolate mix = foolproof tenderness.
Hot frosting + hot cake = perfect absorption.
Poke holes = frosting penetration maximum.
Mini chips = gooey molten pockets.
Make ahead: Day before, flavors intensify.
Freezes perfectly 3 months (frosted).
Diet soda ruins texture + flavor.
Texas sheet cake vibes, Dr Pepper twist.
Serves 15-18. Potluck MVP guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 piece
Calories: 385
Sugar: 38g
Sodium: 320mg
Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 7g
Unsaturated Fat: 10g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 54g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 45mg

Keywords: dr pepper cake, texas sheet cake, chocolate dr pepper cake, easy chocolate sheet cake, cola cake recipe