More Retro Cakes: Dr Pepper Chocolate Cake

Using soda in cakes is sooo Retro and as I've said before, and this Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake is perfect to serve at your next Mad Men party. I've already posted a Chocolate 7-Up Cake, and a few weeks ago I posted a Chocolate Coca Cola Cake with the possibility of using Pepsi for those who favor the 'other' brand.

Jan Burke, mystery author extraordinaire, sent me a photo from the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco, TX where they sell Dr. Pepper Cake Mixes. Assuming that Dr. Pepper was a wet ingredient, I went to the web to check. Although I didn't find the cakemix for sale on the website, I found it at Doc's Soda Shop. It's called Dublin Dr. Pepper Cake &aFrosting Mix. The cake mix requires 8 oz of Dr. Pepper and the frosting requires 4 oz. Dublin Dr. Pepper. O.K. I was curious about Dublin Dr. Pepper. Is it the same as the Dr. Pepper I can buy here? Here's what I found on the Dublin Dr. Pepper site--and yes there are two Dr. Pepper Museums in Texas!

What makes Dublin Dr Pepper so different?

Dublin Dr Pepper is still made using the original sweetener, pure cane sugar. In the 1970s the price of sugar rose and soft drink companies started panicking because it was getting too expensive to produce their drinks using sugar. Virtually everyone switched to high fructose corn syrup because it was much less expensive.

The decision was made at that time to keep using the pure cane sugar, regardless of the extra expense. The Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company is the only Dr Pepper bottler that has always used pure cane sugar to sweeten the drink.

Dublin Dr Pepper Museum vs Waco Dr Pepper Museum. What's the difference?

The Dublin Dr Pepper Museum focuses on its own unique history. Most of the huge collection of memorabilia in the Dublin Museum was collected by Bill Kloster who loved and collected all things Dr Pepper. The collection contains many rare pieces and is one of the largest in the world. A tour of the plant takes you through the working antique operating bottling line. The tour ends in Old Doc’s Soda Shop, where you can step up to the soda fountain and have a Frosty Dr Pepper or purchase Dr Pepper memorabilia. Dublin Dr Pepper is a privately owned company and still a working company.

Still have time to spare? The Waco Dr. Pepper Museum tells about the creation of Dr Pepper at the Old Corner Drug Store and about the growth of the soft drink industry. It also teaches you about the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company which was once located in the museum.

Dr Pepper is the national drink of Texas. I like odd museums, so both of the Dr Pepper Museums are on my list.

Want to make Chocolate Dr. Pepper Cake from Scratch? Here's a good recipe from the Baylor University Alumni Association cookbook: "Homecoming: Special Foods, Special Memories." The original recipe called for margarine, but that's not an ingredient I would ever use!

CHOCOLATE DR. PEPPER CAKE

Cake
1 cup butter
1 cup Dr. Pepper
4 tablespoons DARK cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional...I don't use it)
3 cups flour,  sifted
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs -- well beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dr. Pepper Frosting
1/2 cup Dr. Pepper
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons DARK cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar -- sifted
1/2 cup pecans -- chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Heat Dr. Pepper with butter, but do not boil. Set aside. Sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cocoa. Beat together eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and baking soda. Add hot Dr. Pepper mixture to dry ingredients. Stir in egg mixture, and blend well. Pour into greased and floured 15x10-inch sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 deg. for 25 minutes.

For frosting: About 5 minutes before cake is done, heat Dr. Pepper, margarine, and cocoa.
Stir in powdered sugar, pecans, and vanilla. Spread frosting on while cake is still hot.