Bake a Cake: Root Beer Float Cake
Get ready for the Fourth of July and Bake a Cake: Root Beer Float Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! Easy and delicious!
Happy Weekend! Watch the video below to make a delicious Root Beer FLOAT cake, and get your space decorated in red, white and blue! You may also want to bake this festive Summer Fruit Upside Down Cake.
Start looking for yummy recipes, or gathering recipes from Pinterest or digging up the family favorites. (Are you following my Fourth of July Entertaining & Recipes board, or my Summer Entertaining & Recipes board?)
Bake a Cake: Root Beer Float Cake
A few years ago we hosted friends for dessert, enjoying our new backyard space in the cool of the evening. We served this fabulous Root Beer Float Cake!
All you need are these ingredients for this cake:
- white cake mix
- root beer
- canola oil
- eggs
- (extract) root beer
- powdered sugar
- cream cheese
- butter, softened
- vanilla extract
Root Beer Float Cake
Having it decorated for the 4th of July, all I had to do was bake a cake!
I decided to use a root beer theme, and bake a cake: Root Beer Float Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh, and then serve root beer on the side for our beverage. A&W is our favorite brand.
Start with a color theme
When I decorate, no matter what the space, I like to start with a color theme.
Using the red, white, and blue 4th colors was perfect.
Pulled out my blue Mexican glasses. (Recycled Harry & David gift container.)
Plenty of ice and drinks (in case someone didn’t want root beer).
Napkins, plate, fresh picked berries.
Summer is a 9×13 pan
Whipped up the cake in a 9×13 pan, which brings back great childhood memories for me.
In the summer, my mom always made cakes in 9×13 pans because it seems that we were either going to the river, to a picnic, or having a summer dinner party in our backyard.
A 9×13 size pan says “summer” all over it.
This delicious Root Beer Float Cake, with a thick cream cheese frosting, which everyone loved!
What’s your favorite cake to make in a 9×13 pan?
More summer cake ideas:
Buttermilk Blueberry Cake Board
Get the Recipe:
Bake a Cake: Root Beer Float Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 package white cake mix, 18.25 ounces
- 1 cup root beer
- ¼ cup water
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. root beer extract, McCormicks
Frosting:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp. root beer extract, McCormicks
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, root beer, water, oil, extract, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes or stir by hand for 3 minutes.
- Pour into a greased 13×9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the frosting:
- In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and extracts. Gradually fold in the powdered sugar.
- Beat until soft peaks form. Frost the cooled cake. Store in a refrigerator before serving.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Hi I am gonna make this tomorrow and was wondering if I could use vegetable oil as I have no canola oil
Yes you can!
I have made this several times. It’s always a hit. Made it today for a 4th of July picnic tomorrow
Everyone loves this moist cake
There’s only two of us and a 9 x 13 is too big. Any suggestions for a smaller (8×8) cake to modify this recipe?
You could try halving the recipe, Aimee, it should work for an 8×8 pan!
I made this Root Beer cake with cream cheese frosting for my new neighbors and especially for my neighbor’s autistic six year old son just to say Happy Day — Welcome to our Apartment Building and neighborhood! His birthday is in November. He loved it and requested I make 2 of them next time! Why 2? — one for just him and one to share with his mommy and sissy! Funny little guy. I love him.
Very inspiring, thanks for sharing Sharon!
YUM! Iwould like to make this but I don’t use cake mixes. Any suggestions as to how this can be created from scratch?
I made this today for my sons 26th birthday, but I used Watkins brand Root Beer extract. Everyone in our family loved it!! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
we are about to try this and it looks amazing! My frosting turned out lighter in color though, did you add anything to make it brown? Maybe it’s because the vanilla and RB extracts I used are not McCormick?
Thanks!
You have the vanilla extract listed once and the root beer extract listed twice above. Im assuming root beer extract goes in cake mix and then both vanilla and root beer go in frosting. Is that correct? I just made tonight for our 4th party tomorrow. As of now I only have vanilla extract in frosting…do I need to add the root beer extract to frosting too
Yes, put the root beer extract in the frosting too.
I am going to try this tonight for my daughter’s sleepover! But the girls don’t like root beer, so I am going to try it with orange soda & orange extract! I think it should taste like a 50/50 bar, but we’ll see! I might need to increase the amount of vanilla.
I’m planning to make the orange version this weekend. How did yours turn out?
This was so good! It seems that where I live, they aren’t stocking the 18.25 oz mixes, so I grabbed a 16.5 oz mix and added 1/2 cup flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. It may have worked fine with the smaller box, but I didn’t want to take any chances! I’m making it again for a party this weekend :)
YUM! I just watched on The Chew the other day where they made a cake with root beer frosting…can’t remember if rootbeer was in the cake too!
You can NEVER go wrong with a 9×13 pan of cake! My favorite is the chocolate cake I grew up with. Almost every birthday at our house involved that cake. Your root beer cake sounds awesome!
Sounds amazing, I can’t wait to try it! One question, under ingredients it lists 1/4 cup water but I don’t see where it is added in the directions.
Yes, Janice, add the water with the oil, cake mix, root beer, eggs … :)
The Texas sheet cake that you posted for 4th of July last year was a total HIT, so I’m really excited to make this one, too!
This sounds terrific, Sandy! Quick question: in your directions you say, “One cup root beer, divided” but it looks like the whole cup goes in the cake batter. Is that correct?
Thanks. I look forward to making this.
Diane
Thanks, Diane. Fixed! (not divided) :)
Sounds WONDERFUL!! I’m going to have to see if I can find root beer extract! Our local grocery store is kinda small, but this may be worth a trip to a larger place! :)
It’s McCormick brand, Jean … I bet your store has it in stock! :)
Fave 9×13 cake: Blueberry/Pineapple Dump!
Rub 9×13 pan with inside of butter wrapper.
Dump in layers:
1 (12 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice, spread
1 large bag frozen blueberries, spread evenly
1 box yellow cake mix scattered across surface
1 1/2 sticks butter cut into squares and scattered across top layer
1/2 to 1 c. chopped nuts
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
I may have to try that, Deb. I bet you have that recipe memorized! :)
I know this was published over 3 years ago but I’m just now finding it and have a question: is the “12 oz. can of crushed pineapple” correct? I’ve not seen that can size, though I have a 20 oz. can and wondered if this was supposed to say 21 oz. Just want to make sure I’ve got the recipe right before trying it— sounds delish! Thanks!
Hi Sandy
I love the drinking cups, the cake looks very interesting to try. The cake I love 9 x 13 is blueberry cheesecake, or almost any fruit on it for that matter. I did read Bev’s comment, I liked your colorful picture from your daughter because it was fun and vibrant which I thought I am sure it fits your personality.
Have a blessed day
Pairing the rootbeer float flavors into a cake?! That’s just awesome!
I’m so excited to make this cake, but one silly question for a novice baker…where do I purchase root beer extract? Loving your 4th of July ideas and thanks so much! :)
Local grocery store, Sarah. It’s McCormick brand, so I bet your store has it stocked! Fun! Enjoy!
Oh my.. .this sounds DELISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll be making this one!! and pinning it too…
Oh and yes… the 9×13! All the time. (when you’re from a family of nine, though, that is inevitable.):)
Sandy… on a side note. I’M LOVING this simple color, of robin’s egg blue…on the blog. It’s perfect; clean & classy. It’s way more you…(in my opinion) I hope it stays!
Thanks Bevy! The first colors, orange and green, were photos of my backyard (fall and spring), which I still love! I, too, love the robin egg blue :)