Cherry Dr Pepper Cake

This delicious cherry Dr Pepper cake recipe needs only six ingredients and produces a cake with an amazing texture and a unique flavor.

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Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time6 50

Servings

Our Cherry Dr Pepper cake combines the nostalgia of the classic soda with the indulgence of rich chocolate. The moist cake, enhanced by the subtle fizz of Dr. Pepper, has a rich, deep cocoa taste with a light hint of cherry soda. Maraschino cherries bring a fruity sweetness that cuts through the richness of the chocolate, making each bite feel balanced. The cherry-infused buttercream frosting adds an extra layer of creamy sweetness with a playful tartness. The chocolate shavings on top lend a smooth, luxurious finish. Overall, it’s a combination of sweet, fruity, and chocolatey goodness with a little fizzy twist.

close up shot of a slice of Cherry Dr Pepper Cake topped with a cherry on a plate

Let’s Dish: About This Cake

Main Ingredients: Maraschino cherries, Devil’s food cake mix, cherry Dr Pepper, butter, powdered sugar, chocolate shavings.

Quick Steps: Mix cake ingredients, bake, prepare frosting, spread, add cherries and chocolate shavings, chill.

Total Time & Yield: 6 hours 50 minutes, serves 12.

Why This Recipe

This cherry Dr. Pepper cake brings together rich chocolate and cherry flavors in a way that’s incredibly simple yet indulgent.

While many recipes use shortcuts like canned frosting or omit chocolate shavings, this recipe features a homemade cherry buttercream with cherry juice, offering a burst of authentic cherry flavor in every bite.

The addition of chocolate shavings elevates the texture and adds a touch of luxury that sets this cake apart.

Additionally, while some cakes are lighter on the cherry element, we make sure that maraschino cherries are mixed directly into the batter and used in the frosting. This ensures a bold, consistent cherry flavor throughout, making it more satisfying than recipes that only rely on soda for flavor

Cherry Dr Pepper Cake Ingredients

Cherry Dr Pepper Cake raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

For The Cake:

1 (10-ounce) jar of maraschino cherries, reserve the juice for the frosting
1 (15.25-ounce) box of Devil’s food cake mix
1½ cups of cherry Dr Pepper

For The Frosting:

1 cup of butter, softened
Maraschino cherry juice
3 cups of powdered sugar, plus ½ cup extra if needed
¼ cup of chocolate shavings

Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cake Substitutions And Additions

This incredibly flavorful cherry chocolate cake recipe has a delicious cherry frosting in the prettiest pink hue. The tender chocolate cake melts in your mouth with a splash of Dr. pepper flavor in every bite.

The bright red cherries and festive chocolate shavings on top offer a pop of color that will make this mouthwatering dessert a family favorite for any special occasion.

DR PEPPER CHERRY SODA: Cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper would also work well for this cake. You could also use cherry cola if you don’t have Dr. Pepper on hand.

CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS: There’s no need for a store-bought container of chocolate shavings. It’s easy to make your own with a block of chocolate and a vegetable peeler.

CAKE MIX: If you don’t have devil’s food cake on hand, you could use any box of chocolate cake mix in this recipe. Dark chocolate fudge cake would be especially yummy, too!

How To Make This Cherry Dr Pepper Cake Recipe

Let’s walk through the step-by-step instructions for making this delicious cake.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with baking spray.

STEP TWO: Take 15 cherries from the jar, remove the stems, and cut the cherries into quarters. Leave the remaining cherries and the liquid in the jar, as you’ll need these later.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Wear gloves when cutting the cherries to avoid your fingers turning pink.

STEP THREE: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer at a low setting, combine the dry cake mix and the cherry Dr Pepper.

PRO TIP:

The cake mix box will say to add eggs, water, milk, and oil. We don’t need to do that as we’re using Dr Pepper instead with the dry mix.

dry cake mix and Dr Pepper added to a bowl

STEP FOUR: Stir the sliced cherries into the cake mix and cherry Dr Pepper.

STEP FIVE: Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 28 minutes.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.

STEP SIX: Check to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake; it should come out clean.

STEP SEVEN: Set the cake aside and allow it to cool completely.

STEP EIGHT: Next, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer at a medium setting, cream together the butter and the maraschino cherry juice from the jar.

STEP NINE: Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the three cups of powdered sugar, half a cup at a time.

PRO TIP:

The homemade frosting should be firm, like canned frosting. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Don’t make it so thick that it won’t spread.

powdered sugar blended into the butter and cherry juice in the bowl

STEP TEN: Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake using a spatula.

STEP ELEVEN: Gently score the cake where you plan to slice it. Add a whole cherry, complete with the stem, to the middle of each piece of cake.

PRO TIP:

If you don’t have enough cherries, remove the stems, slice in half, and place a half cherry onto each piece instead.

STEP TWELVE: If using store-bought chocolate shavings, sprinkle them evenly over the top of the frosting. Alternatively, using a vegetable peeler and a chocolate bar, gently scrape down the sides of the chocolate to make the shavings.

STEP THIRTEEN: Put the cake into the refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving.

How To Serve This Cherry Dr Pepper Cake

This decadent dessert would be fantastic to serve at a potluck or birthday party. Since it is so easy to make, though, you could even throw it together for a weeknight dessert.

For an extra indulgent treat, add a spoonful of whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream to your cake.

You might be surprised to see the addition of cherry Dr Pepper soda in the ingredients of a cake, but this popular soda actually features in several of our easy recipes! Take a look at our Dr Pepper brownies, and this awesome slow cooker Dr Pepper pulled pork.

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Dr. Pepper Cake Storage Tips

This yummy cake is easy to store. Here’s how:

IN THE FRIDGE: Cherry Dr Pepper cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze this cherry chocolate cake for up to three months. Place it in the freezer while still in the baking dish for one to two hours to set the frosting. You can then transfer it to an airtight container or wrap it in plastic wrap. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Why This Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake is the Best

There are a few reasons why cherry Dr Pepper cake is so popular:

Unique Flavor Combination: It merges the classic chocolate cake with the taste of cherry Dr Pepper. This creates a unique and delightful flavor profile that combines the richness of chocolate with the sweet and tart cherry notes of the soda.

Moist and Decadent: The Dr Pepper adds moisture to the cake, making it incredibly tender and decadent.

Easy to Make: Many recipes use a boxed cake mix as a base, which makes them very simple to prepare. This is perfect for bakers of all experience levels.

Nostalgic Appeal: For some people, Dr Pepper might be a nostalgic drink reminding them of their childhood. A cake flavored with it can be a fun twist on a familiar favorite.

Even if you aren’t a huge Dr Pepper fan, the chocolate and cherry combination is generally well-liked, and the soda flavor in the cake tends to be subtle rather than overpowering.

close up shot of a baking dish of Cherry Dr Pepper Cake topped with cherries

This chocolate cherry Dr Pepper cake is so easy to make because it uses a box of cake mix rather than lots of separate ingredients. The rich cherry flavor makes it a fantastic cake to slice up and bring to a potluck, or you could even serve it as a birthday cake for someone special.

Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of soda can I use if I can’t find cherry Dr Pepper?

If you can’t find cherry Dr Pepper, you can use cherry vanilla Dr Pepper. If you can’t find either, you can substitute cherry Coke, but the flavor will not be quite the same.

Can I use diet soda for this recipe?

We don’t recommend using the diet version of cherry Dr Pepper as it will change the flavor of the cake.

Do I have to refrigerate this cake?

This cake is fine on the counter for up to four days.

Why is my cake dry?

There are a few reasons why your cake may come out dry. First, make sure that you follow the instructions exactly. If the ratio of ingredients is off at all, you could end up with a denser texture.

Also, make sure you don’t over-mix your cake batter, as that can result in the cake coming out drier. Finally, make sure your oven temperature is correct. Oven temperatures sometimes are off from the dial, so make sure your oven isn’t hotter than you are expecting.

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Cherry Dr Pepper Cake

5 from 1 vote

This delicious cherry Dr Pepper cake recipe needs only six ingredients and produces a cake with an amazing texture and a unique flavor.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 6 50

Servings

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Ingredients

Cake

10 ounces maraschino cherries, remove the stems from 15 of the cherries and reserve the juice for the frosting
1 box Devil's food chocolate cake mix, dry
1½ cups cherry Dr Pepper

Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
maraschino cherry juice
3 cups powdered sugar, plus ½ cup extra if needed
¼ cup chocolate shavings

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with baking spray (Baker’s Joy or Wilton’s Bake-Ease)
Remove the cherries from the jar, reserving the liquid in the jar to be used in making the cherry frosting. Remove the stems of 15 of the cherries, slice in half, then slice the halves in half again. Keep the remainder of the cherries in the jar with the stems on to garnish the tops of the frosted pieces of cake.
Using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer and a large mixing bowl, add the dry cake mix and the cherry Dr Pepper. Mix on low until the dry cake mix and Dr Pepper are just combined.
Using a large spoon, stir in the sliced cherries.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 28 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Set the cake aside and allow the cake to cool completely.
Using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer and a large mixing bowl on medium speed, cream together the softened butter and reserved cherry juice, about ¼ to ⅓ cup.
Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the 3 cups of powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. This should be a firm frosting consistency, like canned frosting. If the frosting is thin, add up to ½ cup of additional powdered sugar. Be careful to not make the frosting so thick that it will not spread easily.
Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake.
Gently score the size of the serving pieces of cake.
Place one of the reserved cherries with stems in the middle of each piece of cake. If the amount of stemmed cherries is less than the number of servings, remove the cherry stems, slice them in half, and garnish the tops of the pieces of cake.
To help the frosting set before cutting the individual pieces, place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
If using store-bought chocolate shavings, sprinkle the shavings evenly over the top of the frosting. Or using a vegetable peeler and a chocolate bar, gently scrape down the sides of the chocolate to make the shavings.

Video

Notes

Wear gloves when cutting the cherries to avoid your fingers turning pink.
The cake mix box will say to add eggs, water, milk, and oil. We don’t need to do that as we’re using Dr Pepper instead with the dry mix.
The homemade frosting should be firm, like canned frosting. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Don’t make it so thick that it won’t spread.
If you don’t have enough cherries, remove the stems, slice them in half, and place a half cherry onto each piece instead.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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Cherry Dr Pepper Cake