Coca Cola Cake

Our Coca Cola Cake has been a Southern tradition for generations. A sweet, chocolaty, crazy moist cake with thick fudgy icing. Quick and easy to put together! This is one of those easy, always made from scratch cakes my family grew up eating.

This old-fashioned cake recipe is a tried and true classic. My Grandma used to make it for Sunday suppers at her house all the time. Now, I serve it just as often. It’s great for family dinners, potlucks, church suppers, and neighborhood get-togethers. Everyone loves the incredible, unique texture and the deep chocolate fudge flavor.

Looking for more delicious chocolate sheet cake recipes? Try my Texas sheet cake, chocolate zucchini cake, Butterfinger cake, and chocolate poke cake.

What is Coca Cola Cake?

Coca Cola cake is, according to historians, Southern in origin. Whether or not it stems from home kitchens, or simply a Coca-Cola marketing team, there’s no doubt that it’s a staple favorite at many, many family and social gatherings.

Other versions of this cake can be found all over the internet, from the easy Coca Cola cake with cake mix recipes to the Coca Cola cake recipe Southern Living recommends. This is the recipe that has been passed down to me from my Grandma and has been made more times than any of us dare count! Now that leads me to my next point, marshmallows!

Coca Cola Cake Ingredients

Cake:

• Sugar: Granulated Sugar
• All-purpose Flour: I use Gold Medal which has a moderate protein level of 10.5% protein.
• Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent along with an acid.
• Salt: Enhances the flavors.
• Coca Cola: The star of the show! Boiled with other ingredients before adding to the batter.
• Cocoa: I use Hershey’s Cocoa 100% natural cocoa powder. It has not been Dutch-processed so it still contains cocoa’s natural acids.
• Unsalted Butter: Use a good quality butter.
• Eggs: At room temperature.
• Buttermilk: Works as an acid to activate the baking soda. Use it at room temperature.
• Vanilla: Use real vanilla, not imitation.

Glaze:

• Coca Cola: Adds the signature flavor and sweetness.
• Unsalted Butter: Makes the glaze wonderfully rich.
• Cocoa: Adds the classic chocolate flavor to this cake.
• Vanilla: Use real vanilla.
• Confectioners’ Sugar: Sift to avoid lumps in the glaze.

Tips 

• Diet Coca Cola: No. Just a Big No. Don’t do it. This, and all other, cake recipes call for regular Coca-Cola only!
• Buttermilk: Oh, buttermilk. One of those ingredients that you either always have in your fridge, or you never have in your fridge. There is no in-between. If you’re not an avid baker, chances are you definitely do not have buttermilk on hand frequently, if ever. Buttermilk is fantastic for baking, as it adds a very subtle tang along with tenderness to the batters it’s added to.
  • In my opinion, there should never be a Coca Cola cake without buttermilk! I highly recommend making sure you grab some for this recipe, but  in a pinch, you can use the following substitute:
  • Buttermilk Substitute:    
    1. 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice
    2. 1 cup milk
    3. Stir, let stand for 5 minutes
    4. This recipe will be equal to one cup of buttermilk
• Powdered Sugar: Nobody wants a lumpy glaze on a cake. Sift your powdered sugar. You want it to blend in smoothly to the glaze and avoid white lumps!
• Glaze: This cake is delicious on its own, but when the glaze is added while the cake is still warm, it adds a fudge-tastic topping that completes it.
  •  Three things are very important in our Coca Cola cake icing instructions:
    1. Making the glaze while the cake is in the oven.
    2. Pouring while the cake is still hot.
    3. Ensuring that the Coca Cola has boiled down to half a cup. If the Coke does not reduce and thicken up, you’ll be left with a glaze that’s too runny and seriously lacking in fudge.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This cake can be kept in the fridge for a week. 
• Can You Freeze This? This cake can definitely be frozen for 4-6 months. When freezing, be sure that you’ve already frosted the cake while hot. Let it cool, then cover and freeze!
  • A side benefit as to why this cake is so amazing is how well the leftovers freeze. The fudgy and oh, so delicious taste remains! Oh darn, I made too much …not!
  • Tip: Cut the cake into pieces before you pop it in the freezer. This way, you already have individual slices to let thaw or warm for a few seconds in the microwave.

What Does Southern Coca Cola Cake Taste Like?

Heaven. Next question. Just kidding!  Most people assume that Coca-Cola cake would just taste like Coca-Cola. Spoiler alert! It really doesn’t.

The carbonated beverage we’ve all come to know and love has been invited to this party to make the cake moist, airy, and fudgy all at the same time. Honestly, it’s the uniquely moist texture that sets this cake apart from other chocolate sheet cakes.

Texas Sheet Cake would be a good example of a similar chocolate sheet cake. Both have the perfect cake-to-icing ratio in my opinion! Texas sheet cake is a denser, deeper chocolate flavor, while Coco Cola Cake has a medium chocolate intensity, is less dense and cakier, and even more moist.

Recipe Variations

1. Soda Switch: Try using root beer or Dr. Pepper in place of the Coca-Cola.
2. Cinnamon and Marshmallows: If you’ve perused recipes for a while, you’ll find that many people add cinnamon and mini marshmallows (previously discussed) to their Coca Cola cake. I love both of these ingredients but for me, it’s just not how we grew up enjoying this cake. It’s not how we traditionally made Coca Cola cake.
3. Double Up on Chocolate:  As I said above, this cake has a lovely, medium chocolate intensity. If you want to make it with a deeper chocolate intensity, here’s how to create a double chocolate Coca Cola cake :
   • For the cake:
     1. Add 1/2 cup cocoa to the cake instead of the 1/4 cup called for.
   • For the frosting:
     1. Boil your Coke down to ¼ a cup instead of a ½.
     2. Add ¼ a cup of chocolate syrup to make up for the lost pop.
     3. Reduce your powdered sugar to 3 cups (still sift it well!)
     4. Add ½ cup cocoa powder instead of 1/4 cup
4. Interested in mega chocolate? Use dark chocolate cocoa powder. Holy. Moly.

More Sheet Cake Recipes

• Pineapple Sheet Cake
• Pig Pickin Cake
• Strawberry Jello Cake
• Strawberry Sheet Cake-with lemon cream cheese frosting!
• Lemon Buttermilk Cake
• Pina Colada Cake 
• Pineapple Sunshine Cake
• Coconut Sheet Cake
• Caramel Apple Sheet Cake

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Coca Cola Cake

Our Coca Cola Cake has been a Southern tradition for generations. A sweet, fudgy, crazy moist cake with a thick fudgy icing. Quick and easy to put together!

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (12 ounces) Coca Cola regular-not diet
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Glaze:

• 1 can (12 ounces) Coca Cola regular-not diet
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar sifted

Instructions

Prepare Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray on a 9 X 13-inch baking pan.
• Whisk the first 4 ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, add the Coca-Cola (1 can), cocoa (1/4 cup), and butter (1 cup) and bring just to a boil, over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until blended.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the eggs (2), buttermilk (1/2 cup), and vanilla (2 teaspoons) together then whisk into the flour mixture.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Prepare Glaze:

• Start making the glaze the last 15 minutes before the cake is done baking. In a saucepan, bring the Coca-Cola to a boil, over medium-high; continue to cook 12-15 minutes or until soda has been reduced to 1/2 a cup. 
• Stir in the butter (1/2 cup), and cocoa (1/4 cup) until the butter has melted. Remove from heat, add vanilla (1 teaspoon) and Confectioners' Sugar (3 3/4 cups), and mix until smooth. Pour immediately over the hot cake.

Fans Also Made:

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Notes

1. Diet Coca Cola: No. Just a Big No. Don’t do it. This, and all other, cake recipes call for regular Coca Cola only!
2. Buttermilk: Oh, buttermilk. One of those ingredients that you either always have in your fridge, or you never have in your fridge. There is no in-between. If you’re not an avid baker, chances are you definitely do not have buttermilk on hand frequently, if ever. Buttermilk is fantastic for baking, as it adds a very subtle tang along with tenderness to the batters it’s added to. In my opinion, there should never be a Coca Cola cake without buttermilk! I highly recommend making sure you grab some for this recipe, but  in a pinch, you can use the following substitute:
   • Buttermilk Substitute:    
     1. 1 Tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice
     2. 1 C milk
     3. Stir, let stand for 5 minutes
     4. This recipe will be equal to one cup of buttermilk
3. Powdered Sugar: Nobody wants a lumpy glaze on a cake. Sift your powdered sugar. You want it to blend in smoothly with the glaze and avoid white lumps!
4. Glaze: This cake is delicious on its own, but the glaze, added while the cake is still warm, adds a fudge-tastic topping that completes it.
   •  Three things are very important in our Coca Cola cake icing instructions:
     1. Make the glaze while the cake is in the oven.
     2. Pouring while the cake is still hot.
     3. Ensuring that the Coca Cola has boiled down to half a cup. If the Coke does not reduce and thicken up, you’ll be left with a glaze that’s too runny and seriously lacking in fudge.

© Gonna Want Seconds. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media/website/blog is strictly prohibited.

Originally Published on Centsless Meals

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