Day 121 - Root Beer Float Cake

Four out of five family members went to the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game tonight.  They were playing the Florida Marlins.
It was fun, and of course, the weather here in sunny AZ was beautiful today, so they opened the retractable roof of the dome.  It was 92º outside and I was sitting there watching the game with... goosebumps!  We must have been sitting under an air conditioning vent because I was quite CHILLY!
Eventually, I did warm up - just in time for my husband to decide it was time to go.
"Let's go, so we can beat the crowd."
He does that a lot, I'm noticing.  He wants to eat before the big crowds get to whatever restaurant we're going to, leave before the big crowds leave wherever we are...
Good grief, we're only in our early - mid forties for cryin' out loud!  What the heck is he going to be like when we're in our 60's?
Are we going to be at Denny's eating right at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, just so we don't have to deal with anybody??!!
Oy vey!
I absolutely love growing old with this man, but seriously?  Is this just the beginning of what I have to look forward to when we're in our old age?
We'll be sitting home in our rockers because he doesn't want to deal with the crowds!

Root beer, root beer, root beer! 
Who DOESN"T like root beer floats?
I have never met him...or her, and I can't believe that a person who doesn't like them even exists.
If you don't like them, maybe you'll like this cake instead.
I was perusing my list of blogs one day and came across this recipe for Root Beer Float Cake on the Brown Eyed Baker.  I left a comment telling Michelle how much our family LOVES root beer floats and that I just had to try this. 
I bought the root beer a few days ago and hid it, but noticed someone had gotten into the stash and the bottles were slowly disappearing.  I don't usually buy soda, so I knew I needed to make this ASAP before it ALL disappeared.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing this!
Root Beer Float Cake - One 10-inch bundt cake

2 cups root beer (do not use diet root beer)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used regular - store didn't have dark unsweetened)
½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

For the Root Beer Fudge Frosting:
2 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (again, I used regular)
2½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fº.
Spray the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, such as Wilton's Bake Easy or butter the pan and dust with flour, shaking out the excess flour; set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the root beer, 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 medium 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.  This is okay. Do not over beat it, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

To make the frosting, put all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and satiny, scraping the sides of the food processor a couple of times. (If you don’t have a food processor, simply throw it all into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl using a hand mixer and mix on medium-low until combined and satiny smooth.)
 Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the cake in a thick layer. Let the frosting set before serving. Store leftovers wrapped well or in an airtight container at room temperature.
*Note: If you are using a dark, nonstick pan, heat the oven to 300º F.  (I used one)

(Recipe adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

When making the frosting, my food processor is a small one, and my hand mixer is being temperamental, so I just used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment and the frosting came out fine.

Since we were going to the baseball game, I didn't have time to personally frost it, so I gave that job to my eldest, and I think she did wonderfully considering she has never frosted a cake!  Way to go, girl!

This cake was absolutely delicious!  It was definitely a different flavor that I really, really liked.  The first taste is chocolaty, but then the after taste is definitely root beer.

It is so rich that you cannot eat it without the ice cream because it gives it a nice balance
I couldn't even finish my piece.  Ok, I ate most of it and only left a few bites.

I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  This root beer float cake earned 3½ rolling pins. 

Root beer, ice cream, and cake.  Can it get any better?

Happy baking!