Friday, June 5, 2015

Starting Summer Fun With My Recipe For Dr Pepper® Cherry Chocolate Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it's advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareFunshine #CollectiveBias



My grandchildren have officially started their summer vacations and that is something to celebrate around our house. No more school or schedules, or the many trips in the car everyday to get everyone where they need to be.

That's pretty exciting and we are all looking forward to having a great summer this year. So, to kick off the start to our summer of fun, I baked a cake. I love baking, and I've been hearing so much about baking with soft drinks that I decided to use one of my favorites, Dr Pepper® Cherry.

Well, I'm not exaggerating when I say this cake is absolutely, fabulously delicious!! My daughter and I both looked at each other in shock when we first tasted it. The chocolate is so intensified, with the hint of cherry in it, and I just love it. This recipe is a keeper, and I'll be making it again soon for a family member's birthday that is coming up.


Summertime fun means buying our favorite treats and drinks to have on hand. While I was shopping at Walmart, I thought I would surprise everyone with some  SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars, Dr Pepper® Cherry, M&M's® Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, and some Skittles®.

If you'd like a chance to win a $100 Walmart e-gift card, be sure and enter the contest below. What a fun shopping trip that would be if you won!



Share a Little Funshine Sweepstakes




I enjoy making cakes for birthdays, holidays, and other occasions. I do think it's very much worth the effort of making a cake from scratch.

My grandchildren were super excited that I was making a cake to celebrate the start of their summer vacation, and I know I'm making a memory with them. Even though they are young, I know they won't forget this amazing cake and the day I made it for them.


This recipe is pretty easy to follow, but I do have a couple of things I want to emphasize. First, make sure you use a high quality cocoa powder because the chocolate flavor is so intense and you want it to be the best it can be.

Only let the Dr Pepper Cherry, cocoa powder, butter and sugar get hot enough to melt the butter, you don't want it to get too hot or boil. It has to cool down so that the eggs can be added, and you don't want the eggs to cook in a hot mixture.

And I did use canned frosting for this cake, which tasted great on it. With three little ones asking over and over when the cake was going to be done, I was happy to skip having to take the time to make frosting.

Recipe for Dr Pepper Cherry Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

 2 cups Dr Pepper Cherry
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

2 containers white frosting
1 jar Maraschino cherries, rinsed and dried
white sugar sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease or use cooking spray on two 9-inch round cake pans.
In a medium saucepan, heat the Dr Pepper, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans about 30 minutes, then carefully run a thin spatula around the edges, then invert the cake onto a cake plate.
Frost layers, then put the cherries on top of the finished cake. Sprinkle with white sugar sprinkles if desired.



Of course when summer rolls around, I can't forget about our sweet dog, Chewy. He is very much a member of the family and deserves his own favorites, too.

I like buying him Pedigree Dentastix® Original and Pedigree Dentastix® Beef Flavor, for a treat he loves that also helps with his oral care.

Of course he can't have cake, but he can have a Dentastix® once a day to keep him happy and ready to jump in the car for some summer adventure.



The kids loved the cake, and I scored big Nana points because of how delicious it turned out. My five year old grandson, Liam, will start all-day kindergarten in the fall, and it's sort of bittersweet. They aren't babies anymore, and it's just as hard to see time passing with them as it was with seeing my children growing up.

So I want this summer to be filled with lots of spontaneous fun, family days, games, and favorite things to eat. And this cake got us off to a great start!!


You can find Dr Pepper® Cherry, M&M's® Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches, SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars, Skittles®, Pedigree Dentastix®, and more, all at your local Walmart.

 Click here to receive instant savings on M&M's®, SNICKERS® Ice Cream Bars, Dr Pepper® Cherry, Skittles®, Pedigree Dentastix®! Download the Blippar app from your Apple or Android store to scan your package and receive exclusive content.

I'd love to hear your favorite ideas for making summer FUN!

Patricia
Share:

No comments

© Frugal Family Tree | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Designed by pipdig