Chocolate Cherry Dr Pepper Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BeReadyPlayBook #CollectiveBias

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for football season. I’m looking forward to watching the games with friends, going to some games (hopefully!), tailgating, delicious food, and the atmosphere of it all.

I didn’t care about football until I went to college, where we won national championships 3 of the 4 years I was there. Even if we hadn’t, I think I still would have been into it just because of the atmosphere of game day on campus. It’s so ridiculous and completely wonderful. Football is a big deal here, no matter how the season is going.

My junior and senior years of college, I lived in an apartment right next to the football stadium. It was awesome. One of the things I miss the most about that time was having all of my friends over on game days. If my parents were in town for the game, they’d always bring us TONS of food. We’d eat and hang out at my apartment, go walk around campus and the quad, and then eventually make our way to the student section.

I, of course, was always in change of the treats. Cake is my favorite thing to make, so that’s what I’ve got for you today. Fall is my favorite time of the year, but unfortunately here in the South, the cooler weather doesn’t come until October or November. So we spent many, many football games crammed in the student section all sweaty and sunburned. One of the best things at those sweltering games was going to the concession stand and getting a GIGANTIC Dr Pepper. Seriously, the massive, fancy, holographic game day cups. I still have like 8 of them in my kitchen cabinets. They’re really great for filling piping bags, just so you know. 😉

To kick off this football season, I made this Chocolate Cherry Dr Pepper Cake for you! It’s soft and fluffy, and is flavored with chocolate and, of course, Dr Pepper. I went with a cherry frosting to bring out that flavor in the Dr Pepper, and then topped my cake with cherries. I really wanted to go with some fresh cherries, but sadly, I couldn’t find any in my grocery store. If that’s the case for you as well, maraschino cherries will work just fine.

I used three 6-inch cake pans for this cake, but it can also be made in 8-inch pans. The layers will just be a little thinner. If you’re entertaining at home, I think your guests will really love this cake. The cake itself comes together very quickly, and I’ve listed a couple different options for the frosting in the recipe below.

If you’d like to make this cake for a tailgate and you will actually be transporting it to another place, I think cupcakes might be better. (This recipe should make 24.) They’re easier to move and serve to a crowd. You won’t have to deal with cutting slices, dishes, and forks. Transporting cakes in cars always makes me nervous, so you won’t have to deal with that either.

Don’t forget to pick up some Dr Pepper at Walmart before the game to go along with your game day treats! 😉

Also! If you are a current college student, how would you like the chance to win $20,000 for COLLEGE TUITION? Check out bereadyplaybook.com, where you can play a football toss game (you know, similar to the one they do at halftime at conference championships where you throw the footballs into the goals) for a chance to win! You can also visit participating Walmart stores for the chance to play and win prizes, and even an additional $5,000. You can find participating stores here. Check out that link for more details and info!