Last summer, I came across an article explaining how, with just a box of cake mix and a can of soda, you could make yourself a pretty decent cake; they even listed possible combinations: French vanilla mix and orange soda would give you a creamsicle cake, spice mix and ginger ale would give you, kinda obviously, to my mind, a ginger spice cake; then they got to the chocolate.
Combining dark chocolate cake mix and root beer to make a root beer float cake sounded good, but I was after something different…
Dark chocolate and orange, one of my favorite flavor combinations.
How’d it work?
Not bad.
The cake was moist, fine, really, but there really wasn’t much orange flavor. Rich thinks it could mebbe use some freshly grated orange zest, and I am inclined to agree; tho’ I think my next experiment will be the root beer float with a vanilla buttercream.
Still and all, great, simple way to make a cake, especially if you’re out of eggs and oil!
INGREDIENTS
Cake:
•1 box cake mix
•1 can (12 oz) soda (not diet)
Espresso Chocolate Buttercream:
•5 cups powdered sugar
•6 tbsp cocoa
•1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
•1/w cup heavy cream
•2 tsp vanilla
•3 to 7 tbsp hot espresso
•Pinch of salt
Heat your oven and prepare your chosen baking pan according to directions on the cake box.
Empty the cake mix into a bowl and add the can of soda. My chosen mix’s directions were to mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then at medium speed for two minutes.
Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake according to package instructions – my glass 13 x 9 pan was ready after 30 minutes at 350º.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Make a bit of espresso or nice, strong coffee (I used Medaglia d’Oro instant), then cream the butter with the powdered sugar and the cocoa in a mixer.
Starting with 1/4 cup of the cream and three tablespoons of espresso, add to the butter mixture along with the vanilla and a pinch of salt. My frosting was still very thick, so I added additional cream and espresso by tablespoonfuls until I got the consistency I was looking for; 1/2 cup of heavy cream and seven tablespoons of espresso total.
Frost the cake with the buttercream before serving. I added some fall themed jimmies left over from last year and called it a cake.
And it’s not at all a bad cake, just not as orange and chocolate as I’d hoped.
Next time, I’ll add the orange zest, or mebbe switch to root beer and make a vanilla buttercream; or mebbe I’ll just stick with what I know is good and make a dark chocolate and mayonnaise cake.
Hmmm… I do still have some heavy cream in the fridge and a brand-y new box of Dutch process cocoa in the pantry for teh frosting…
and Thanksgiving is coming…
Love this recipe, try using espresso powder in the mix, and add Grand Mariner, and orange zest to the frosting. Came out killer !