5 from 3 votes

Root Beer Float Sheet Cake

Root Beer Float Sheet Cake tastes like the classic dessert beverage. Chocolate sheet cake infused with root beer and topped with a vanilla root beer frosting. This sheet cake is sure to make your crowd happy.

root beer float sheet cake in a pan with a few pieces cut out


My six year old son recently discovered root beer floats. We try not to give the kids soda but we let him have it for a special treat. It really blew his mind when I added a small scoop of vanilla ice cream! He declared root beer floats to be the best drink ever! Can’t say I disagree.

The root beer taste is not too strong. It adds the perfect hint of root beer flavor to the cake.

I went back and forth on topping the cake with a vanilla “float” frosting or chocolate frosting. After surveying the kids, the float frosting won. They definitely made the right choice. I could have licked the whole bowl of frosting.

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    This is one of my favorite cakes I have made to date. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are ready to eat. This is a wonderful cake to bring for a summer party or gathering.

    Why You’ll Love This Root Beer Float Sheet Cake

    • Delicious classic root beer flavor with chocolate
    • Kids love this cake
    • Easy recipe with basic ingredients
    • Takes only 25 minutes to make

    Ingredients 

    For the cake batter, you will need: 

    • All-purpose flour, sugar, salt, unsweetened cocoa powder, and baking soda will serve as the base of the case making it structured and sweet.
    • Vegetable oil will bring out the flavors of the cake cake base.
    • Buttermilk and vanilla will add a delicious sweetness to the cake.
    • Root beer is the main flavor of this cake so incorporating just a little bit of it will make a huge difference. 

    For the Frosting, you will need: 

    • Butter and salt will help to enrich the flavor of the frosting as well as making it creamy and easy to spread.
    • Vanilla and root beer combine in a very flavorful way to make the frosting give off a Root Beer Float vibe.
    • Powdered sugar will give the frosting a sweet flavor.
    • Cherries are completely optional but I highly recommend them. 

    *See the recipe card for the full ingredient quantities. *

    root beer float sheet cake piece on a white plate

    How to Make Root Beet Float Sheet Cake

    • Step One: Preheat the oven to 350F.
    • Step Two: Spray a 11 x 17 sheet cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
    • Step Three: While the oven is preheating, whisk flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.
    • Step Four: In a small bowl, stir together the vegetable oil, root beer, buttermilk and vanilla.
    • Step Five: Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and stir until well blended.
    • Step Six: Pour the batter into a prepared pan.
    • Step Seven: Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick will come out clean.
    • Step Eight: Once the cake has been taken out of the oven start to prepare the frosting while it is cooling.
    • Step Nine: In a small saucepan, start to melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the root beer and cook for 1 minutes.
    • Step Ten: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
    • Step Eleven: Once the cake is cooled, spread the frosting over the cake. Top with the cherries if you choose to.
    root beer float sheet cake on a white plate

    Equipment Needed

    This post contains affiliate links.

    • These mixing bowls are my favorite set. It includes 3 glass bowls in different sizes so the bowls have unlimited uses.
    • This whisk is one of my favorites to use when I need an hand held whisk.
    • This cookie sheet pan is my favorite baking sheet. It is non stick and anything I bake in it never gets burnt on the bottom.
    root beer float sheet cake on a plate with a piece taken off with a fork

    What to Serve with Root Beer Float Sheet Cake 

    This is such a hit with everyone, I love to serve it with a scoop of my Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream or with my Maple Walnut Ice Cream

    Substitutions and Variations

    Try using a boxed chocolate cake mix instead of making the cake from scratch to save on time.

    Storage Instructions

    Store any leftover cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.

    Can I Freeze? 

    Yes! Freeze in an airtight container then thaw overnight when you are ready to eat it. It can be kept in the freezer for 3 months.

    root beer float sheet cake piece on a serving spatula

    For more easy, family friendly food, feel free to visit me over at foodlovinfamily.com.

    Cake Recipes

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    If you make the recipe, rate it on the recipe card below and tag me on Instagram and use #simplystacie. I like sharing the photos on my Instagram stories!

    5 from 3 votes

    Root Beer Float Sheet Cake

    Created by Stacie Vaughan
    Servings 24
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Tastes like the classic dessert beverage. Chocolate sheet cake infused with root beer and topped with a vanilla root beer frosting.

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ¼ cup sugar
    • cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 cup root beer
    • cup buttermilk
    • 1 tsp vanilla

    Frosting

    • ½ cup unsalted butter
    • cup root beer
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • tsp salt
    • 4 cups powdered sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • Spray 11×17 sheet cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
    • In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
    • In a small bowl, stir together vegetable oil, root beer, buttermilk and vanilla.
    • Pour wet ingredients in with dry ingredients. Stir until blended.
    • Pour batter into prepared pan.
    • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    • Once the cake has been taken out of the oven start preparing frosting.
    • In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add root beer and cook for 1 minute.
    • Remove from heat and stir in salt, vanilla and powdered sugar.
    • Spread over cake. Optional top with cherries.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 146mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Course Desserts
    Cuisine American
    Keyword Root Beer Float Sheet Cake

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    24 Comments

    1. Congratulations!
      Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Thanks so much for sharing it with us and have a great weekend!
      Come Back Soon,
      Miz Helen

    2. Calvin F. says:

      Never tried a sheet cake before.. looks like a cool idea

    3. Oh my , i need to make this asap ! I love root beer floats , this just sounds awesome !  I think I will do half with cherries and half with out ,  just to see the difference in taste 

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