1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
2. Sift together the sifted flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa and baking soda and set aside.
3. Heat the Dr Pepper in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla for 2 minutes. At lowest speed, slowly add the Dr Pepper mixture and beat for 1 additional minute. Gradually add the dry ingredients, and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks, lift off pans and allow to cool completely before frosting.

The frosting

• 3/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco
• 6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup Dr Pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat the shortening and butter until light and fluffy. At low speed, gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Add the Dr Pepper and vanilla, and turn mixer to high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Note: For the photograph, we made this with Texas' own cane sugar Dublin Dr. Pepper, back when that was still around. This is a good recipe in which to use dry buttermilk. For a product review, see Dry Buttermilk.

More cake recipes from Texas Cooking: Classic 7-UP Pound Cake, Red Velvet Cake (2-layers), Very Chocolate Layer Cake.

Lone Star List

1. NYT Food: When One Fridge Is Not Enough For many Americans, a second fridge - and sometimes a third - is another member of the family.
2. A Pleasant Little Kitchen: Grand Marnier Pudding
3. Parade: Find Out How Rodney Scott Combines Grits and Leftover Barbecued Pork for the Perfect Breakfast - Come for the meat, but stay for the key lime pie, two-layer chocolate caramel cake, and massive cookies.
4. Bloomberg: BBQ restaurants better get ready. The average American is predicted to eat 224.8 pounds of meat in 2021 - You should get paid for doing what you love.
5. MySA: Rare white roadrunner spotted on Texas ranch outside of Waco
6. MarfaPublicRadio: Archeologists Win a "Race Against Time" in Documenting Ancient Canyonland Murals
7. New in the Book Pile!
   Southern Smoke by Matthew Register.

New Cookbooks We're Reading

• The Peached Tortilla: Modern Asian Comfort Food from Tokyo to Texas
  by Eric Silverstein - Serving food in Austin's Allendale neighborhood, The Peached Tortilla is an Austin treasure. This new cookbook reveals how one man brought Asian street food to Texas, creating wonderful new culinary conbinations. Buy today!
• LOOK! Franklin Steak: Dry-Aged. Live-Fired. Pure Beef
  Aaron Franklin's new be-all, end-all guide to cooking the perfect steak. by Aaron Franklin
• The Austin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Deep in the Heart of Texas
  by Paula Forbes
  Great Austin-style recipes here!