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Cherry soda and a measured chocolate cake mix make the base of this sheet cake with cherry buttercream. Reserve cherry juice before draining the fruit. This specific soda-mix formula does not call for the eggs or oil printed on a standard cake-mix box.
Use a 15.25-ounce chocolate fudge cake mix with 355 milliliters of Cherry Dr Pepper. Smaller modern packages are not automatically equivalent. The texture and rise depend on the actual mix and this formula has not been kitchen-tested.
Ingredient amounts and preparation
- Set out: 1 box (15.25 oz) super moist chocolate fudge cake mix
- Set out: 355 ml Dr. Pepper Cherry, room temperature
- Set out: 510 g maraschino cherries, divided
- Set out: 230 g salted butter, softened
- Set out: 850 g powdered sugar; 6 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
Cooking sequence and doneness
- Stage 1
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a nine-by-thirteen-by-two-inch pan.
- Stage 2
- Reserve six tablespoons of cherry juice. Remove stems from twenty-four cherries and quarter them, draining away excess liquid.
- Stage 3
- Mix the specified dry cake mix with the measured soda until combined. Fold in the quartered cherries.
- Stage 4
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Stage 5
- Bake about thirty minutes, continuing until a center tester has no wet batter. Cool completely in the pan.
- Stage 6
- Beat softened butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar gradually on low speed, then the reserved juice.
- Stage 7
- Beat until evenly spreadable and frost the fully cooled cake. Drain the remaining cherries and use them as decoration, then refrigerate the finished cake.
Remove stems and quarter twenty-four cherries for the batter. Reserve the rest for decoration, draining well so they do not flood the frosting. Save six tablespoons of jar juice before discarding any liquid.
Are extra box ingredients added?
No; this method combines dry mix with soda rather than following the box method. Adding its eggs, oil and water would create a different formula. Use the stated quantities and a center-doneness check. Beat softened salted butter first, then add powdered sugar gradually at low speed. Incorporate the measured cherry juice and beat until spreadable. The large sugar quantity makes a sweet frosting; it is not a reduced-sugar recipe.
When is the cake ready to frost?
Wait until the entire cake is cool, including its center. Warm cake melts the butter frosting. Start baking checks around thirty minutes and continue until a tester has no wet batter.
Storage and serving later
Refrigerate perishable leftovers promptly in shallow containers at 40°F or below; do not wait for a large hot batch to cool completely on the counter. University of Illinois Extension’s leftover guidance gives a three-to-four-day refrigerated window and 165°F for reheating foods served hot. Keep cold salads and toppings chilled, and follow shorter product-label limits where applicable. Do not leave the prepared dish out longer than two hours, or one hour above 90°F; return the remaining batch to cold storage.
Related recipe choices
For another complete recipe, see Cherry Cheesecake Bars or White Chocolate Cake with Coconut Pecan Frosting. Each has its own ingredient quantities and cooking sequence; keep those measurements separate when choosing a meal. Recipe guidance is based on the listed ingredient amounts and the method checks above. Timing is an estimate rather than a kitchen-test result; ingredient brands and cookware can change the outcome.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- Which package size is required?
Use a 15.25-ounce chocolate fudge cake mix with 355 milliliters of Cherry Dr Pepper. Smaller modern packages are not automatically equivalent.
- What happens to the cherries?
Remove stems and quarter twenty-four cherries for the batter. Reserve the rest for decoration, draining well so they do not flood the frosting.
- Are extra box ingredients added?
No; this method combines dry mix with soda rather than following the box method. Adding its eggs, oil and water would create a different formula.
- How is frosting mixed?
Beat softened salted butter first, then add powdered sugar gradually at low speed. Incorporate the measured cherry juice and beat until spreadable.
- When is the cake ready to frost?
Wait until the entire cake is cool, including its center. Warm cake melts the butter frosting.
- Has this recipe been kitchen-tested?
No. This is a research-based editorial revision.