Root Beer Cake
Serves: 4
Clarabelle Lynch
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
61
Spice
54
Sweetness
59
Sourness
39
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.7
Difficulty
Ingredients:
1 cup
Molasse1 tsp
Baking Soda3 cup
Dark Brown Sugar3 tbsp
Granulated Sugar2 tsps
Vanilla Extract1 large
Egg1.75 tsps
Baking Powder1 tsp
Kosher Salt3 cup
Heavy Cream1 tbsp
Bark (sassafras)2 cups
Powdered SugarDirections:
1
TO MAKE THE CAKE Preheat the oven to 350°F
2
Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cake pan well with some of the butter
3
Cut out a piece of parchment paper so it fits closely into the bottom of the cake pan
4
Line the bottom of the pan with the parchment, and then grease the parchment with more butter
5
Shake 1 tablespoon of the flour into the cake pan, and shake it around so it sticks to the butter
6
Tap out any excess flour that doesn't stick to the parchment or to the sides of the pan
7
Pour the root beer and molasses into a deep medium-sized pot, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat
8
(You need those high sides because the baking soda will froth up very high, and you don't want it to spill over! So make sure there's some meaningful space between the liquid and the top of the pot
9
) Pull the pot off the heat and whisk in all the baking soda, so it froths up
10
Then put the pot right in the fridge to cool down a little
11
While the root beer mix is cooling down, whisk the brown sugar, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, ginger, and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl
12
The mixture will be a little chunky at this point
13
Crack the egg into the bowl and whisk well
14
The egg is what makes everything come together smoothly: you should have a thick paste
15
Set this aside
16
In another mixing bowl, combine rest of the flour with the baking powder, star anise, and cardamom
17
Grate in the nutmeg and lemon zest, and add the salt and pepper
18
Whisk everything together so it's well combined
19
Take the root beer mixture out of the fridge
20
Pour a third of the flour mixture into a large mixing bowl; pour in one-third of the root beer mixture, then one-third of the sugar paste
21
Whisk everything together slowly (so it doesn't splash everywhere), and then add another one-third of the flour, another one-third of the root beer, and so forth, until everything is combined in the bowl
22
(The mix doesn't need to be completely and smoothly combined until the last of the wet and dry mixtures are in the bowl
23
) You should have a very wet, almost liquid batter
24
Pour the batter into the cake pan, put the pan on a cookie sheet (to catch drips and splashes), and put it on the middle oven rack
25
Bake the cake for 45 minutes without opening the oven at all (this cake will sink if you shake it up while it's baking)
26
Check it: the cake should be high and dark brown, with a little bit of spring-back when you touch it (but not too much—it's a very moist cake)
27
If it's not quite ready, rotate the pan and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes before checking it again
28
The whole baking process shouldn't take longer than 55 minutes, even in a slow oven
29
Preheat the oven to 350°F
30
Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cake pan well with some of the butter
31
Cut out a piece of parchment paper so it fits closely into the bottom of the cake pan
32
Line the bottom of the pan with the parchment, and then grease the parchment with more butter
33
Shake 1 tablespoon of the flour into the cake pan, and shake it around so it sticks to the butter
34
Tap out any excess flour that doesn't stick to the parchment or to the sides of the pan
35
Pour the root beer and molasses into a deep medium-sized pot, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat
36
(You need those high sides because the baking soda will froth up very high, and you don't want it to spill over! So make sure there's some meaningful space between the liquid and the top of the pot
37
) Pull the pot off the heat and whisk in all the baking soda, so it froths up
38
Then put the pot right in the fridge to cool down a little
39
While the root beer mix is cooling down, whisk the brown sugar, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, ginger, and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl
40
The mixture will be a little chunky at this point
41
Crack the egg into the bowl and whisk well
42
The egg is what makes everything come together smoothly: you should have a thick paste
43
Set this aside
44
In another mixing bowl, combine rest of the flour with the baking powder, star anise, and cardamom
45
Grate in the nutmeg and lemon zest, and add the salt and pepper
46
Whisk everything together so it's well combined
47
Take the root beer mixture out of the fridge
48
Pour a third of the flour mixture into a large mixing bowl; pour in one-third of the root beer mixture, then one-third of the sugar paste
49
Whisk everything together slowly (so it doesn't splash everywhere), and then add another one-third of the flour, another one-third of the root beer, and so forth, until everything is combined in the bowl
50
(The mix doesn't need to be completely and smoothly combined until the last of the wet and dry mixtures are in the bowl
51
) You should have a very wet, almost liquid batter
52
Pour the batter into the cake pan, put the pan on a cookie sheet (to catch drips and splashes), and put it on the middle oven rack
53
Bake the cake for 45 minutes without opening the oven at all (this cake will sink if you shake it up while it's baking)
54
Check it: the cake should be high and dark brown, with a little bit of spring-back when you touch it (but not too much—it's a very moist cake)
55
If it's not quite ready, rotate the pan and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes before checking it again
56
The whole baking process shouldn't take longer than 55 minutes, even in a slow oven
57
WHILE THE CAKE IS BAKING, MAKE THE GLAZE Whisk the cream and sassafras together in a small pot, and bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat
58
As soon as it boils, pull the mixture off the heat, pour it into a glass or ceramic container (something that won't crack from the heat), and put it in the fridge
59
Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes while the sassafras steeps into the cream, so you have a nice root beer flavor
60
In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, star anise, cardamon, and salt
61
Grate in the nutmeg and lemon zest, and whisk everything together
62
Strain the cooled cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a small mixing bowl (so the sassafras pieces don't end up in the glaze)
63
Gently whisk 1/2 cup of the cream into the powdered sugar mixture, holding back the last 2 tablespoons to see if you need it
64
If the mixture is dry and not coming together as a glaze, add more cream
65
Whisk the mixture well, until you have a shiny, thick liquid
66
Whisk the cream and sassafras together in a small pot, and bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat
67
As soon as it boils, pull the mixture off the heat, pour it into a glass or ceramic container (something that won't crack from the heat), and put it in the fridge
68
Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes while the sassafras steeps into the cream, so you have a nice root beer flavor
69
In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, star anise, cardamon, and salt
70
Grate in the nutmeg and lemon zest, and whisk everything together
71
Strain the cooled cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a small mixing bowl (so the sassafras pieces don't end up in the glaze)
72
Gently whisk 1/2 cup of the cream into the powdered sugar mixture, holding back the last 2 tablespoons to see if you need it
73
If the mixture is dry and not coming together as a glaze, add more cream
74
Whisk the mixture well, until you have a shiny, thick liquid
75
TO FINISH THE CAKE When the cake is ready, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes
76
Flip the cake out of the pan onto a serving plate
77
Spread the glaze thickly on top of the warm cake with a spoon
78
The glaze will melt and drip down the sides as you slather it on
79
You can serve the cake as soon as it's cooled to room temperature—but like all spice cakes, it's even better the day after you make it
80
Store it covered at room temperature
81
When the cake is ready, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes
82
Flip the cake out of the pan onto a serving plate
83
Spread the glaze thickly on top of the warm cake with a spoon
84
The glaze will melt and drip down the sides as you slather it on
85
You can serve the cake as soon as it's cooled to room temperature—but like all spice cakes, it's even better the day after you make it
86
Store it covered at room temperature