I have baked a LOT in the past few days. Saturday I tried my hand at a homemade loaf of whole wheat bread. It turned out alright. I was impatient and didn't let it bake long enough. I know how to make it better next time now :). Sunday, I made a root beer float cake for my mother-in-law for mother's day, which is the recipe I'm sharing this week. Monday, Mike and I had dinner with some friends, kind of at the last minute, and Mike, my biggest culinary fan, volunteered me for dessert (the little pill) so I whipped up a batch of the cake batter cookies I mentioned earlier in my blog. They are great when you just throw a bunch of random stuff in them! Then last night, I went over to an old friend's apartment for dinner, dessert, and "Glee"! I made sopapilla cheesecake, which I will be making for ANOTHER girl's night this Friday, and it will probably be my next recipe post.
Good heavens. I sit around doing nothing but work and school and as soon as one ends, I have a social life again! Somewhere in the midst of all of that, Mike and I managed to go on a date to see "Iron Man 2." Very good.
ANYWAYS! This is not a "This is my life" blog, this is a "This is my food" blog! Whenever I'm in line at the grocery store, I avoid the tabloids and check out the headlines on all the recipe books on the top shelf of the magazine rack. A couple weeks ago I bought one! 80 recipes that start with a cake mix! I cannot even wait to try some of these. One of them involves Oreos, and I love anything that involves Oreos. But I digress... I decided to make a root beer float cake. Many years ago, as an attempt to be healthier, I swore off carbonation. I don't recall losing much weight from it, but it's a habit that has stuck and I'm greatful for it, because carbonated drinks are just a waste of space in your body. Drink water or milk instead! Anyways, root beer was always my favorite, so this was a good excuse to have some in one form or another.
So easy. Basically mix some root beer in with a cake mix...
...and BAKE!
The frosting is deLECtable!
Here's a little tower I made with some of the pieces!
This is a really good cake. The recipe calls for white cake mix, but I used a vanilla because that's what I had in my pantry. It had a subtle root beer taste, and I think it would have been more predominant if I had used white instead. But still, everyone said they liked it :) My favorite part was licking the icing bowl...
Root Beer Float Cake
1 package white cake mix
1 3/4 cups cold root beer, divided
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 envelope whipped topping mix (Dream Whip) - just FYI, I couldn't find Dream Whip until the day AFTER I made the cake. If you can't find it, you can substitute 2 cups of Cool Whip instead.
1. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, 1 1/4 cups root beer, oil, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes or stir by hand for 3 minutes.
2. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. In a small bowl, combine the whipped topping mix and remaining root beer. Beat until soft peaks form. Frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.