Forget chocolate-covered strawberries, dozens of roses, and the fondu pot. No, all you need to woo your Valentine today is this recipe. Sure, it’s a little labor-intensive, but trust me. It’s worth the time, the effort, and all the pre-baking finger-licking you can handle.

And here’s a plus: if you and your honey spend time cooking it together in the kitchen, you can both enjoy the taste-as-you-go spoils of this rich, decadent, super-delicious cake. Although, I made it while home alone one afternoon last week and kept all the bowl-licking to myself, thank you very much.

I sent half of this cake with my husband to work (the other half was enjoyed by me and a few friends on girls’ night) and one of his colleagues—who shall, of course, remain nameless for her own protection—said, “I need that recipe. With it, I could get my husband to do anything.” Mmm-hmmm. It’s that good.

Do me a favor and just throw your initial reaction (“Root beer? In a chocolate cake? Huh!?!”) to the wayside, wrangle the ingredients together, and bake this cake whether you’ve got a Valentine or not. Seriously, you won’t regret it.

And of course, not just any root beer will do for this cake. Nope, you need the good stuff. So turn to Texas’s own Saint Arnold’s old-fashioned pure cane sugar Root Beer. Diet root beer won’t cut it, and neither will the stuff laced with high fructose corn syrup. To make this cake right, you need the real stuff, across the board, so don’t skimp.

St. Arnold’s Root Beer Chocolate Bundt Cake
Very slightly adapted from this recipe, found at The Kitchn.

Ingredients
Cake
2 cups St. Arnold’s Root Beer
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Frosting
2 ounces dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup St. Arnold’s Root Beer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour the bundt pan.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

For the frosting:
1. Melt the chocolate over low heat on the stove. Add the rest of the ingedients and stir.
2. Take the mixture off the heat and allow to cool.
3. Whisk the cooled mixture to make sure it’s mixed well and stiff enough to frost.