Life is messy, so sometimes you just have to remember that you’re not in control (of so very many things) and that every now and then, you should just eat some rich gooey cake while binge watching tv. Life will keep going, and you can jump back in when you’re ready – or when someone kicks you off the tv, or the repairman shows up.
Luckily, this cake comes together quickly (I heart sheet cakes) and it’s topped with the best fudge frosting ever. No refrigeration required, which suites me just fine since my refrigerator fan just died, I think. I’m waiting for the final word on that from the repairman. I just hope it can be fixed – I hear there’s a long wait for freezers, so I have no idea if refrigerators are hard to come by. Anyway, it’s a minor inconvenience – definitely a first world issue. I’m certainly not complaining, no sir, I’m just sitting back eating cake and dreaming about a cold glass of milk. Sigh. It’s the little things.
Back to the cake. When I was growing up, my mother’s very eccentric, very southern, family would serve this cake at family gatherings. I thought the chocolate sheet cake was incredible, not only because it was decadent, but because it tasted faintly of cherries without having single cherry in it. It’s the Dr. Pepper you all! Mind blown!
The mini marshmallows add a nice chewy sweetness to the cake. You could make it without them, but why would you want to?!
I like to use this pan, but you could use a different size pan if you want, just make sure to give the cake more time to bake if you are using a smaller/deeper pan.
I hope you all love this cake as much as we do!
Dr. Pepper Sheet Cake Adapted from American Cake
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup canola oil
3 heaping Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I like to use Dutch processed)
1 cup Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 18″ x 13″ x 3/4″ pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment, spraying the pan again. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Set aside.
In a medium pot, add the butter, oil, cocoa powder, and Dr. Pepper. Whisk on medium/low heat until combined, then continue to whisk the mixture occasionally. Once it comes to a full boil, remove the mixture from the heat and pour it directly into the flour/sugar mixture. Whisk the mixture until completely combined.
Next, whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda into the batter until combined. Then stir in the mini marshmallows. Pour into the prepared pan. Place in the oven for 14-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about an hour, then make the frosting.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting Adapted from Baking Unplugged
12 Tablespoons, cold unsalted butter (divided)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate (I use Bakers), each bar broken in half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a medium pot, add 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Whisk intermittently on medium heat (6) while the butter is melting. Once the butter has melted completely, stop whisking and let the mixture boil (you’re basically making a caramel). Let the mixture continue to boil until the very center is a full boil – it should only take a few minutes. Then, set a timer for 6 minutes, and don’t whisk or stir.
When the timer goes off, remove the hot pot with the caramel from the heat, and add in the chocolate and vanilla. Let sit for 5 minutes, without whisking – this time will allow the chocolate to melt. When the timer goes off, whisk in the (now) melted chocolate, vanilla, and caramel sauce until smooth. Next, whisk in the additional 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter until completely combined.
Then pour the fudge frosting onto the sheet cake. Smooth out quickly as the top of the frosting will start to set up pretty fast. I usually wait about an hour before slicing and serving the cake, but you could serve it immediately if you don’t mind the frosting being a little soft since it will not have set up completely.
Store the frosted cake, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days, if it lasts that long!
Blondie and Brownies 