Gluten Free Root Beer Cake is a rich and delicious gluten free cake!
My sister shared a recipe with me for a gluten free root beer cake years ago. I loved the recipe, but somewhere along the way when my sister stopped blogging, I lost the recipe and forgot about the cake.
I recently found some pictures on my computer from years ago when I made the root beer cake. It was from way back in my early years of gluten free baking.
The pictures reminded me of the cake and I knew I had to figure out how to make the same basic cake again. I looked up some recipes online, but none were exactly like I remembered the cake to be.
So I found a few recipes and wrote down what I could from my memory and came up with a gluten free root beer cake recipe to try.
It worked! It actually worked on the first try. Not only did it work on the first try, it also worked with a gluten free flour blend.
This rarely happens when I am converting recipes to gluten free, so I was thrilled that it worked so well. It was just like I remembered it to be.
This Gluten Free Root Beer Cake is rich and delicious. The root beer is what makes this cake what it is. There is something about the pop in it, that gives it a depth of flavor that is amazing.
It doesn’t take like root beer, it just tastes rich and delicious.
The frosting is part of what makes this cake so good. So don’t skip the frosting. I like to make this in a bundt pan, but it can also be made in a 9×13 pan and I am sharing directions for how to make it that way.
If you need a gluten free cake that is so good no one will know that it is gluten free make this Gluten Free Root Beer Cake. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
I remember once making the old version with Dr. Pepper and it was delicious, so I am pretty sure this would work with Dr. Pepper as well. I plan to try it soon!
Gluten Free Root Beer Cake
A delicious gluten free cake!
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour blend ( I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups root beer
- 1 cup butter
- 1/4 cup Dutch processed baking cocoa
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- 1/4 cup root beer
- 2 tablespoons Dutch processed baking cocoa
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a bundt pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine gluten free flour blend, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a saucepan combine root beer, butter, and cocoa. Cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a boil and butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Slowly add mixture to flour sugar mixture. Mix until combined.
- In a small bowl whisk together eggs, water, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.
- Once cake is cool make frosting by placing root beer in a pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add butter and cocoa powder and whisk until butter is melted. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Slowly mix in powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle/pour over cake.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Cake can be made in a 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-34 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Pour/spread frosting over cooled cake.
So did you like the Dr Pepper or Root Beer version better?
I have to admit that the Dr. Pepper frosting was really so good! So, I would prefer that over root beer, but most of my family would prefer the root beer I think. 🙂 But I think the fun part of this cake and frosting is that you can change it up.
Any ideas on how I could make this with regular white flour? Would I just use 1 1/2 cups flours and what would I use in place of the xanthan gum? Thanks so much!
Someone asked that same question on my facebook page yesterday and here was my sister’s answer. To make the “regular” version of the cake simply use 2 cups all-purpose flour and omit the following: rice flours, cornstarch,xanthan gum, and baking powder.
Hello Lynn,
I’ve come across several gluten free recipes that call for xanthum gum. This is an expensive ingredient (in stores and online). I have noticed most recipes don’t call for very much of it, but I want to know have you’ve made recipes without it? Also, about how long can it be stored/ About how long do YOU keep an opened bag?
There are very few recipes that I do not put it in. I have found that in a few muffin recipes it works without it. Things like breads and pizza dough really need it in my opinion to get that bread texture. It does not hold together the same without. Things like cakes, pancakes, and waffles, do not need as much of it, but I have found that I really do get better results when I use it. I have not had it go bad, so I am assuming that it lasts for a long time. I hope that helps.
Thanks,
It seems to me it is worth the purchase then.
The link is broken. Can you post the recipe?