Root Cake Recipes

ROOT BEER CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg whites, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture alternately with the applesauce and 1 1/4 cup root beer Beat well, then spread batter into a 9x13 inch pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
• To make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the instant dessert topping with 1 cup chilled root beer. whip until fluffy then spread on cooled cake.

OLD FASHIONED ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

Steps:

• Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter; then add the sugar and continue mixing until light and fluffy.
• Meanwhile, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the water and eggs to the butter mixture until blended. Mix in the root beer extract and vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to form a smooth batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until just set, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, and then invert onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting.
• Make the Frosting: In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the confectioners' sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended; then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the cream and vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed to reach spreading consistency.
• To decorate the cake: Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake stand, frost the top surface, and chill for 15 minutes (or freeze 5 minutes). Place the second cake layer on top, inverting it to create a flat top, and push down on it slightly. Frost the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting to hold in any crumbs (called a crumb layer), and chill 30 minutes or freeze 15 minutes.
• Apply a second layer of frosting to finish off the cake, swirling the frosting a bit. Place 12 elbow straws in the cake around the top, and place colored streamers around the edge of the cake flowing down to the base.

CHINESE TARO ROOT CAKE (WOO TUL GOW)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1/4 cup cold water until softened (30 minutes).
• In another bowl, mix flour and starch in water.
• Heat 9-inch round pan with a little oil.
• Stir-fry taro with shoyu, oyster sauce, and salt for a few minutes.
• Mix taro into flour mixture.
• Add pork.
• Pour into oiled pan.
• Drain and squeeze mushrooms dry.
• Cut off and discard stems and mince the caps.
• Top cake with garnishes.
• Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the pan without touching the sides of the steamer.
• Carefully place the pan into the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam just until cake is set and firm to the touch (45-60 minutes).
• Cool and cut into slices.

EASY ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on high for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. , Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. , In a small bowl, beat frosting ingredients until stiff peaks form. Frost cake. Chill.

ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1-1/4 cups root beer, oil and eggs. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes or stir by hand for 3 minutes. , Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack., In a small bowl, combine the whipped topping mix and remaining root beer. Beat until soft peaks form. Frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.

ROOT BEER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Grease and flour two 9" round pans.
• Mix cake mix, 3/4 cup root beer, eggs, oil and pudding mix in a large bowl.
• Bake as directed on package.
• Chill cake for ease in splitting layers.
• Split each layer into 2 thin layers.
• Filling and Topping: Combine Dream Whip, ice cold root beer and vanilla in a chilled bowl.
• Beat as directed on package. Spread 1 cup of filling between layers of cake with remaining on top.
• Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, 12 ounces root beer, oil and eggs until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Poke holes in the cake with a skewer at 2 inch intervals. Pour Root Beer Glaze evenly over cake.
• To make the Root Beer Glaze: combine the confectioners sugar and 3 tablespoons of root beer in a small bowl. Beat until smooth.

TARO ROOT CAKE (WOO TUL GOW)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the scallops in 1/3 cup cold water for about 2 hours, or until softened. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the small hard knob from the side of the scallops. Finely shred the scallops.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1/2 cup cold water 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain and squeeze dry, reserving the soaking liquid. Cut off and discard stems and mince the caps. In a small bowl, soak the dried shrimp in 1/3 cup cold water for 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Finely chop shrimp and set aside.
• Cut the bacon into 3 equal pieces and place in a 9-inch shallow heatproof dish. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish in the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam 15 to 20 minutes, or just until bacon is softened and there are juices in the dish. Check the water level from time to time and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the dish from the steamer and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, wearing rubber gloves, peel taro root and cut into 1/2-inch cubes to make about 7 cups. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the taro root, 1 teaspoon salt, and about 1 1/2 quarts cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until taro has turned a pale lavender color and is just tender when pierced with a knife.
• Remove the bacon from its dish and reserve the juices in the dish. Cut off and discard the rind and thick layer of fat underneath. Cut the remaining meat into paper-thin slices and then finely chop. In a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, stir-fry the chopped bacon over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until meat releases fat and just begins to brown. Add the minced mushrooms and shrimp, and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in pan juices from the bacon and remove from heat.
• Drain the taro in a colander, reserving the cooking liquid. Return the taro to the saucepan, add the bacon and mushroom mixture, and stir to combine. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour and the reserved mushroom, scallop, and shrimp soaking liquids, stirring until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved hot taro broth. Pour this batter over the taro mixture in the saucepan. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir until combined. Consistency will resemble that of thick rice pudding. Pour the mixture into a heatproof 8-inch round, 3- to 4-inch-deep, straight-sided bowl, such as a soufflé dish.
• Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish into the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam 1 hour, or just until cake is set and is firm to the touch. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the bowl from the steamer and cool on a rack about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours.
• Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Place a cake rack over the bowl and invert to unmold. Flip the cake right-side up onto a cutting board. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• When ready to eat, cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise, not into wedges, but into two 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into scant 1/2-inch-thick slices. This is the typical way of slicing a cake Chinese style.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add just enough vegetable oil to barely coat the wok. Add the taro cake slices in batches and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Serve immediately with oyster sauce.

ROOT BEER FLOAT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, root beer, oil and egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
• Bake 32 to 36 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan, about 1 hour.
• Stir root beer concentrate into frosting. Spread over cake. Just before serving, sprinkle with crushed candies. (Candies will begin to melt 1 to 3 hours after sprinkled on cake.) Store loosely covered.

ROOT BEER CAKE

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE CAKE
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch cake pan well with some of the butter.
• Cut out a piece of parchment paper so it fits closely into the bottom of the cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with the parchment, and then grease the parchment with more butter.
• Shake 1 tablespoon of the flour into the cake pan, and shake it around so it sticks to the butter. Tap out any excess flour that doesn't stick to the parchment or to the sides of the pan.
• Pour the root beer and molasses into a deep medium-sized pot, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. (You need those high sides because the baking soda will froth up very high, and you don't want it to spill over! So make sure there's some meaningful space between the liquid and the top of the pot.)
• Pull the pot off the heat and whisk in all the baking soda, so it froths up. Then put the pot right in the fridge to cool down a little.
• While the root beer mix is cooling down, whisk the brown sugar, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, ginger, and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl. The mixture will be a little chunky at this point.
• Crack the egg into the bowl and whisk well. The egg is what makes everything come together smoothly: you should have a thick paste. Set this aside.
• In another mixing bowl, combine rest of the flour with the baking powder, star anise, and cardamom. Grate in the nutmeg and lemon zest, and add the salt and pepper. Whisk everything together so it's well combined.
• Take the root beer mixture out of the fridge. Pour a third of the flour mixture into a large mixing bowl; pour in one-third of the root beer mixture, then one-third of the sugar paste. Whisk everything together slowly (so it doesn't splash everywhere), and then add another one-third of the flour, another one-third of the root beer, and so forth, until everything is combined in the bowl. (The mix doesn't need to be completely and smoothly combined until the last of the wet and dry mixtures are in the bowl.) You should have a very wet, almost liquid batter.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan, put the pan on a cookie sheet (to catch drips and splashes), and put it on the middle oven rack.
• Bake the cake for 45 minutes without opening the oven at all (this cake will sink if you shake it up while it's baking). Check it: the cake should be high and dark brown, with a little bit of spring-back when you touch it (but not too much-it's a very moist cake). If it's not quite ready, rotate the pan and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes before checking it again. The whole baking process shouldn't take longer than 55 minutes, even in a slow oven.
• WHILE THE CAKE IS BAKING, MAKE THE GLAZE
• Whisk the cream and sassafras together in a small pot, and bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat.
• As soon as it boils, pull the mixture off the heat, pour it into a glass or ceramic container (something that won't crack from the heat), and put it in the fridge. Let the mixture cool for about 30 minutes while the sassafras steeps into the cream, so you have a nice root beer flavor.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, star anise, cardamon, and salt. Grate in the nutmeg and lemon zest, and whisk everything together.
• Strain the cooled cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a small mixing bowl (so the sassafras pieces don't end up in the glaze).
• Gently whisk 1/2 cup of the cream into the powdered sugar mixture, holding back the last 2 tablespoons to see if you need it. If the mixture is dry and not coming together as a glaze, add more cream. Whisk the mixture well, until you have a shiny, thick liquid.
• TO FINISH THE CAKE
• When the cake is ready, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
• Flip the cake out of the pan onto a serving plate.
• Spread the glaze thickly on top of the warm cake with a spoon. The glaze will melt and drip down the sides as you slather it on.
• You can serve the cake as soon as it's cooled to room temperature-but like all spice cakes, it's even better the day after you make it. Store it covered at room temperature.

BEETROOT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Make the first batch of sponges by greasing and lining two 20cm round tins. Gently melt 125g butter and 100g chocolate together in a saucepan. Mix 250g flour, 250g sugar, 1 tbsp cocoa, ½ tsp bicarb and ¼ tsp salt in a large mixing bowl. Whizz one egg with 100g yogurt and 200g beetroot in a food processor or blender until fairly smooth. Put the kettle on.
• Tip the beetroot mix into the dry ingredients along with the melted chocolate mixture and 150ml boiling water, then stir to combine. Stir in half the food colouring, if using, and divide the mixture between the tins. Bake for 25 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cakes on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to make two more sponges - or if you're lucky enough to have four 20cm sandwich tins, you can bake in a big batch all at once.
• To make the frosting, briefly beat together the cream cheese and butter, then beat in the icing sugar and vanilla. Use a little to sandwich the cooled cakes together, then swirl the rest all over the sandwiched cakes and decorate with sweets, if you like. Sit the cake somewhere cool (not the fridge) to set a little before serving.