Root Beer Float Layer Cake

If you have a root beer lover in your house or are looking for a great chocolate cake birthday cake for a birthday, then you'll love this Root Beer Float Layer Cake! With layers of root beer float cake and icing, this root beer cake tastes just like a classic root beer float, but even better because it's a cake! And it's the ultimate summer cake and happy birthday cake.

Chocolate cake, flavored with root beer extract, then painted in root beer syrup, making it super moist, with a light, fluffy and not too sweet shortening (Crisco) based icing. The root beer cake is topped with marshmallow fluff to look like melted ice cream, with a cherry on top! If you are looking for birthday cake recipes, this is your cake!

I spent a lot of time making birthday cakes. At one point in my life,  making and decorating a cake could take me 20+ hours. Nowadays my focus is on the inside of the cake, rather than the decorations. And this homemade Root beer float birthday cake has the BEST tasting insides! Whether you are a kid or an adult, if you like root beer and are looking for birthday cake recipes,  you will LOVE this cake!

I wanted to try a new technique (gravity-defying), so I made this A&W Gravity Defying Root Beer Cake for my husband's birthday two years ago. It soon became his favorite birthday cake and he requested it again this year. It's the ultimate happy birthday cake.

🥘 Ingredients

This cake is a chocolate cake made with root beer extract (You can buy the root beer extract HERE (affiliate link) through Amazon, because it's not easy to find), then it's painted with a reduced root beer syrup for the ultimate in moistness. This Wilton whipped cream buttercream is a light and fluffy shortening-based icing that uses meringue powder (you can purchase Wilton Meringue Powder HERE - (affiliate link) that isn't too sweet and is the best icing I have ever had - I use it for everything!

I added the marshmallow fluff on top to make it look like the melting ice cream on a root beer float. Although this root beer float birthday cake won't take you 20 hours, it will take you a couple of hours. But trust me, the extra time is worth it. 

For this root beer cake, you'll need:

Cake:

• all-purpose flour
• unsweetened cocoa
• baking powder
• baking soda
• milk
• vegetable oil
• eggs
• root beer soda
• powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
• shortening* I use Crisco
• white granulated sugar
•  salt
• meringue powder
• boiling water
• brown gel icing color
• root beer extract
• maraschino cherry
• marshmallow fluff

*See recipe card for quantities

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Frosting: I use my Whipped Cream Buttercream Frosting for this cake, adjusting the liquids to accommodate the liquid from the addition of the root beer extract. This frosting is a PERFECT pairing with this cake. *You will likely have some leftovers, so you can make additional cupcakes. It can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 months. When you go to use it again, it will need to be 'fluffed up/whipped with a spatula. *However, if you wanted to try using another frosting, just be sure you compensate for adding the root beer extract, by reducing the same amount of liquid from the recipe. 
• Other frosting options: if you prefer more chocolate and less root beer in the frosting, you could use a different frosting such as my 2 Ingredient White Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting (Ganache) or my Chocolate Frosting (without butter).
• Cupcakes: ONLY brush the tops of the cupcakes with the root beer coating and bake for half the amount of time (about 15 minutes) or until cake tester comes out clean.
• Bundt cake: Pour batter into bundt cake pan and bake for 50 -60 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

🍽Equipment

You'll need 3- 8 inch layer cake pans and an electric mixer. A stand mixer is best for this easy root beer float cake, but you could use an electric hand mixer. *See recipe card for recommended equipment links and photos

🌡️Storing

• Storing: Store layer cake in a sealed container for up to 2 days at room temperature. Beyond that, it's best to freeze the leftovers.
• Freezing: Freeze leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze this cake FULLY DECORATED, in a sealed extra large cake carrier (affiliate link) for up to 1 month.

👪 Serving Size

This root beer float cake recipe makes 1 - 8 inch -3 layer cake and serves about 14 people, depending on how large you cut the slices. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🎥 Video

Combing a cake is a very simple decorating technique and it works very well on this root beer cake. If you've never done it, then check out this video: How to ice and comb a cake *skip the refrigeration part, as this whipped buttercream should NOT be refrigerated!

If you are looking for the ultimate happy birthday cake, this Root Beer Float Layer Cake is it!

And if you LOVE root beer, give my Root Beer Float Fudge a try!

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