It's not ice-cream float season yet ... but, hey, we can dream. This unique sweet transforms an ice-cream parlor classic into a year-round treat. The dessert is dark, dense, moist and chocolaty — and the root beer adds a subtle and delicious spice that makes it acceptable for both kids and grownups. Try it the next time you're celebrating something.

Root-Beer Float Cake

recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into half-inch cubes
2 cups root beer (Don't use diet; I used Virgil's)
1 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and dust it with flour, shaking out the excess.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, adding the root beer and cocoa powder and stirring until smooth. Add the sugars and whisk until fully dissolved. Put in the fridge to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Pour them into the cooled cocoa mixture; stir. Gently fold in the flour mixture. The batter will be loose and slightly lumpy.

Pour it into the pan and cook 40-50 minutes, rotating halfway. You'll know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted into its center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack, and then transfer it to a cake plate.

Chocolate-Root-Beer Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces 60-percent cocoa, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup to 3/4 cup root beer

Beat the butter and cocoa powder with a mixer. Add the melted chocolate, salt, powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of root beer to start. Beat until smooth. If needed, add additional root beer in small amounts until you reach the a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Spread the frosting onto the cake. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

This post was written by Kids VT managing editor Carolyn Fox.