Need a quick and fun dessert? This Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake has only 5 ingredients, but it’s loaded with flavor! The rich chocolate cake and unique cherry-Dr. Pepper twist come together for a treat that’s easy to make and totally irresistible. Perfect for family get-togethers or just a little something sweet!
Dr. Pepper Cake Recipe
If you’re searching for a dessert that’s both easy to make and packed with unforgettable flavor, this Cherry Dr Pepper Cake recipe is a must-try! This moist chocolate cake has just five simple ingredients and combines the one-of-a-kind taste of Dr. Pepper, a hint of cherry, and a thick layer of rich, fudgy frosting.
This quick-prep sheet cake has everything to be a hit: the classic chocolate richness you love, a unique twist that sets it apart from all the other cakes, and that crowd-pleasing appeal that makes it perfect for parties, family gatherings, or any casual treat craving.
Whether you’re a chocolate lover or just looking for a new favorite recipe, this cake is easy, fun, and guaranteed to be a family favorite. Inspired by Southern dessert traditions, it’s the decadent, homemade dessert that’s both nostalgic and surprisingly simple to throw together. Give this Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake a try, and you’ll see why it’s not only a classic but a top choice for any occasion!
Dr. Pepper Cake Ingredients
For the Cake:
- Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix: You will be using just the boxed cake mix, you won’t need any of the other ingredients it calls for on the box. This means no water/milk, eggs or oil will be used in this recipe. You can use chocolate cake instead of devil’s food cake, if you don’t like such a rich flavor.
- Cherry Dr. Pepper soda: Do not substitute for diet soda! You will not get the same results!
- Maraschino cherries (save the juice for the frosting)
For the Frosting:
- Butter – be sure to soften it ahead of time
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate shavings (either store-bought shavings or using a vegetable peeler and a plain chocolate bar)
- Maraschino Cherry Juice
How to Make the Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake
- Using a hand mixer, mix the dry cake mix and Cherry Dr. Pepper in a large bowl on low until combined and there are no lumps.
- Stir in sliced cherries into the mixture.
- Pour the cake batter into a 9×13 baking pan (spray with cooking spray first)and bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Frost with our cherry chocolate frosting and top with cherries. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle shavings of chocolate on top.
How to Make Homemade Cherry Frosting
- Cream together softened (not melted) butter and extra cherry juice (from the jar of cherries)
- Add the 3 cups of powdered sugar ½ cup at a time (mixer on low)
Tips & Variations
- If you prefer to use store-bought frosting, you can do so! Making your own allows you to add the cherry flavor, but since the cake is already bursting with cherry flavor, sometimes a basic frosting for the top is all you need.
- A good way to test whether your cake is finished baking is to perform a toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake and see if it comes out clean.
- When making your frosting, you want it to be a firm frosting consistency, like canned frosting. If the frosting is thin, add up to ½ cup additional powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. However, be careful not to make the frosting too thick so that it will not spread easily. Also, be sure to soften and NOT melt the butter.
- Be sure to allow your cake to cool completely before frosting it. It’s easy to get impatient with this step, but it will make for a melty mess if your frosting goes on the cake while it is still warm.
- If the number of stemmed cherries for your garnish is not enough to cover the number of servings in your cake, remove the cherry stems and slice them in half. Then, garnish the tops of the pieces of cake.
How to Store Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake
In The Fridge: Leftovers can be stored covered for up to a week. To keep this cake as fresh as possible, store it in the fridge rather than leaving it out at room temperature.
In The Freezer: This cake can be frozen for up to three months. Place it in an airtight container or in plastic wrap. Thaw in the refrigerator.
More Recipes Using a Cake Mix
- 3-Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies
- Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Apple Cider Doughnut Cake
- Gooey Caramel Apple Dump Cake Recipe
- Ding Dong Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
- Hawaiian Wedding Cake
- 7UP Cherry Cobbler
Cherry Dr. Pepper Cake
Video
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box devil’s food chocolate cake mix dry
- 1 ½ cups cherry Dr. Pepper
- 1 – 10 oz maraschino cherries Remove the stems from 15 of the cherries
Frosting
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar + ½ cup extra, if needed
- ¼ cup chocolate shavings either store bought shavings or using a vegetable peeler and a plain chocolate bar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*.
- Lightly spray a 9×13 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 . There will be 25-30 cherries in the jar. Remove the stems of 15 of the cherries. Slice the cherries 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. No water/milk, eggs or oil will be used in this recipe. 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 large mixing bowl, on medium speed, cream together softened butter, reserved cherry juice (about ¼ to ⅓ cup). NOTE: Make sure the butter is softened, not melted
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, 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 additional powdered sugar. Be careful to not make the frosting very thick that it will not spread easily. Again, the consistency should be like canned frosting.
- Spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake.
- Next, 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 and 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. (Scrape as you would when peeling the skin of a carrot, but gently).
I used Cherry Dr. Pepper Zero and mine turned out perfect…I left the salted butter out on the counter for at least 2 hours for the icing. It came out fluffy, soft, and easy to spread. Highly recommend and it looked very festive.
This recipe looked amazing in pics…it was so rich and sweet…it needed something to off sit the sweetness. Sugar overload
Thank you Jenna, for posting this recipe. I will try it soon and get back to you with a rating, etc. As an avid DP fan (and collector), I just have to give you one small correction: Dr Pepper does not have a period (.) – Just wanted to let you know so you can fix your references; and so other DP fans won’t ride you about it. 🙂 Take care and thanks again 🙂
I’m making this tomorrow and I’ll let you know how my frosting turns out! Excited for this one 🤤
It turned out perfectly and I’m so proud of it! Had no problems with the frosting.
Turned out perfect!!! Was definitely a winner in my books and so simple I was really worried if I mess the frosting up but it was actually pretty easy!
So glad you liked it!
This cherry frosting did not turn out. It is a separated mess with tiny bits of butter suspended in the juice and sugar mixture. I followed your directions and the butter would not combine with the cherry juice. The butter should have been creamed with the powdered sugar first prior to adding the cherry juice so all ingredients would combine to form a proper frosting. Very disappointed and a waste of ingredients.
Mine did the same thing, it was a mess and a disappointment
Can you tell me if you used softened butter or was the butter melted at all? This method has worked fine for me and other readers as well.
Would cherry coke work. No where near me has dr pepper cherry 🙁
I’m not the owner of this site, but there is no reason cherry coke shouldn’t work. It might have a slightly different taste, but that would be it. =)
I don’t have Cherry Dr Pepper where I am either, I was thinking of using Dr Pepper and just adding a couple tbsp of maraschino cherry juice