By Week 407. Year 8. Tommy is 41. Holiday season. The cottage or the memory of the cottage. The family gathering or planning to gather. Luc (17) at LSU studying engineering. Colette (15) in high school, painting. The food is the constant — the roux and the rice and the cayenne that doesn't change even when everything else does.
Made turtle soup this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. The bayou runs on.
The turtle soup was the heart of the day, but every good Louisiana meal deserves a proper ending — something sweet that doesn’t ask too much of anyone, that you can set on the counter and let people find when they’re ready. This Dr Pepper Sheet Cake is that dessert: deeply Southern, deeply simple, the kind of thing that feels like it belongs on the same table as a roux and a heavy pot, in a house where the stove has been on all day and nobody is in a hurry to leave.
Dr Pepper Sheet Cake
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup Dr Pepper
- For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons Dr Pepper
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13x18-inch rimmed sheet pan (half sheet pan) or a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Make the chocolate mixture. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with cocoa powder and Dr Pepper, stirring until smooth and just starting to bubble. Remove from heat.
- Combine. Pour the warm butter mixture over the flour mixture and stir until mostly combined. Add the beaten eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Stir until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Bake. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Make the frosting. About 5 minutes before the cake is done, combine butter, cocoa, and Dr Pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until the frosting is glossy and smooth.
- Frost warm. Pour the warm frosting over the hot cake straight from the oven, spreading to the edges. Scatter pecans over the top if using. Allow the cake to cool and the frosting to set for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 145mg