Best Ever Dr. Pepper Cake

Last Updated on May 23, 2025 by Allison Lancaster

Looking for an extremely easy, quick to make cake that will please the entire crowd? Check out this Dr. Pepper Cake that is sure to make you the talk of the party!

If your family loves dessert like ours does, you’ll drool over this delicious new recipe that combines flavors of a Texas sheet cake with the sweet flavor of Dr. Pepper. The unique flavor (thanks to the secret ingredient) takes classic chocolate cakes and decadent chocolate frosting and elevates it to a new level that any Dr. Pepper fan will be obsessed with.

I recently made this Dr. Pepper cake for a family gathering and they could not get enough of this delicious treat! The entire cake took less than an hour to prepare and was downright mouth watering! If you’re like me and always trying to find yummy recipes to make for family gatherings, this is exactly what you’re looking for!

What Does Dr. Pepper Cake Taste Like?

This Dr. Pepper cake has an ooey gooey texture with a moist and chocolatey flavor. The spicy cherry flavor of the Dr. Pepper gives it tons of moisture with creamy frosting layered over the top.

How to Make Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake

There are literally thousands of cake recipes online and even more dessert recipes. But this chocolate cherry Dr Pepper cake will easily be one of your favorites! It require a few simple ingredients and is simple to make. Serve a slice of the chocolate sheet cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to really wow Dr. Pepper fans.

Cake Ingredients

• Dr. Pepper soda
• Vegetable oil or canola oil
• Unsalted butter
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Buttermilk

Icing ingredients

• Butter
• Unsweetened cocoa
• Cola soft drink
• Whole milk
• Powdered sugar, sifted
• Vanilla extract

To get started, preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add the Dr. Pepper, oil, butter, and cocoa powder to a large saucepan over medium heat. Mix well and bring the ingredients to a simmer. Once the sauce has reached the right temperature, remove the pan from the heat.

Prepare dry ingredients in large bowl, whisking together the sugar, flour, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the saucepan, mixing well.

In a separate small bowl, use a fork or whisk to mix the eggs and buttermilk. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the cake batter in the saucepan.

Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 23 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to rest.

To prepare the icing, heat the butter together with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking often. Mix for about 1 minute or until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and add the cola and milk, whisking until blended. Stir in the powdered sugar to the saucepan, whisking constantly until blended. Add the vanilla and stir until blended. Pour the icing over the warm cake.

Let the frosted cake cool to room temperature prior to serving.

This tasty cake is one of those delicious, moist cake recipes that actually tastes better cold and served the next day. So if you’re in a time crunch and trying to pull together an easy recipe, consider making this great cake the day before you’ll serve it. Just wrap the cake pan with some plastic wrap to keep it from drying out and pop it on the counter or fridge until you need it.

Traditional Chocolate Cake Variations

The only limit to this decadent dessert is your imagination. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the flavors by trying a different flavor of soda. A few ideas include:

• Diet soda
• Cherry Dr. Pepper cake (outrageous cherry chocolate cake, yes please!)
• Coca Cola cake
• Vanilla Dr. Pepper cake
• Mr. Pibb

Dinner Ideas

Crockpot Chicken Nachos

Crockpot Creamy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sliders

BBQ Chicken Legs In The Instant Pot

Print

Dr. Pepper Cake

Looking for an extremely easy, quick to make cake that will please the entire crowd? Check out this Dr. Pepper Cake that is sure to make you the talk of the party!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 28 minutes

Servings 12 pieces

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cup Dr. pepper Soda
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

For the icing

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup unswettened coccoa
• 1/4 cup spicy, fruitty cola soft drink (such as Dr. Pepper)
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the Dr. Pepper, oil, butter, and cocoa powder. Place over medium heat, mixing well, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, prepare the dry ingredients by whisking together the sugar, flour, and baking soda.

4. Stir the dry ingredients into the Dr. Pepper mixture in the saucepan, mixing well.

5. In a separate small bowl, use a fork or whisk to mix the eggs and buttermilk. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the batter in the saucepan.

6. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 23 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to rest.

7. To prepare the icing: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the butter together with the cocoa powder, whisking often, for about 1 minute or until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and add the cola and milk, whisking until blended. Stir in the powdered sugar to the saucepan, whisking constantly until blended. Add the vanilla and stir until blended. Pour the icing over the cake.

8. Cool the cake completely prior to serving.