Super Chocolatey Coca Cola Cake
In the South, there are many things that fall under the "It's a Southern Thang, ya'll" category. Coca Cola cake is DEFINITELY in that category. However, even if you are not Southern, I totally think you should try it. It is ooey-gooey chocolatey goodness and super easy because it is baked and served from a 11X13 pan.
I made this for Evan's "real" birthday (as opposed to his birthday party) because I was tired of making cupcakes. You can expect a moist chocolate cake with a glossy, sweet chocolate and pecan icing. The entire family loved it and Evan made "mmm...mmmm....mmmm" sounds the whole time he ate it.
I can see this being a requested dessert quite often in my future. The other great thing about this cake? Most of the ingredients are already in your cupboards so it doesn't require a trip to the store. The method used to make this cake is a bit unorthodox but stick with me and you will not be disappointed. Once you've tried Coca Cola Cake, you need to try 2-Ingredient Dr. Pepper Cake next!
Southern Coca Cola Cake
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup Coca Cola, not diet
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulate sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk, or sour milk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cocoa
- 6 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ¾ cups confectioners, powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Cake Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11 X 13 pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine Coke, oil, butter and cocoa and bring it to a boil.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Pour Coke mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla and mix well.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and milk. Heat until butter melts and mix well.
Here you have two options: Add vanilla, confectioners sugar and mix well in the pan. This will give you a pourable, fudgy frosting. Or you can put the vanilla and sugar in a bowl and add the contents of the pan to that and stir. This will leave you with a spreadable, fluffier frosting. Both are delicious and work.
Fold in pecan pieces.
Spread on cake while still warm.
Super Chocolatey Coca Cola Cake
A delicious cake made in a bit of a weird way. Plan to serve this in the cake pan as you can't really turn it out for a traditional cake.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup Coca Cola, not diet
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup butter
- 3 tablespoon cocoa
- 2 cups granulate sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk, or sour milk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cocoa
- 6 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ¾ cups confectioners, powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease and flour a 11 X 13 pan.
- In a medium saucepan, combine Coke, oil, butter and cocoa and bring it to a boil.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt.
- Pour Coke mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
- Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla and mix well.
- Pour in to prepared pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and milk.
- Heat until butter melts and mix well.
- Add vanilla, confectioners sugar and mix well.
- Fold in pecan pieces.
- Spread on cake while still warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Amount Per Serving: Calories: 491Saturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 272mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 1gSugar: 54gProtein: 3g
This is a very Southern recipe...what is your favourite recipe from the region you are from?
Looking for more chocolate recipes like Coca Cola Cake? Try these!
Double Chocolate Marshmallow Gluten Free Cupcakes
Chocolate Trifles Two Ways; Perfect Dessert for a Crowd
Reese Spread Stuffed Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Wow. That looks seriously delicious. Must. Try.
I'm a Calgary girl and yet I am vegetarian and so I don't eat a lot of "regional" cuisine. Like, for example, Alberta beef!
Something about the South...I find it so funny that "Coke" is used to refer to any soft drink (what we call "pop"). Why is that, I wonder?
Coca Cola was developed in the South (Atlanta) so it has a long tradition there. I remember using the phrase "I want a Coke" and meaning a soda of some sort...not necessarily Coke. I find that people do that less these days, though.
I remember that too, when I moved up north I was still saying "I could use a Coke.." meaning anything fizzy and the people would look at me after I explained the difference meant, like I was nuts.. LOL
Coca Cola , invented in Atlanta, the first Commercially available soft drink.
Seriously Merry, you've become my recipe go-to. You know my love for all things even remotely Southern, so I'll be making this one sooner than later (uh, maybe tonight).
Awwww. Thanks, Elizabeth. I like to keep you in Southern recipes to try. 🙂
Where's the mini marshmallows? The "Original" and "Southern" recipe calls for marshmallows! It looks good but it's hardly "Southern"... just saying!
I never said it was the original. Personally I am not a huge marshmallow fan. It is still Southern without them as many people make it that way. BTW....I'm from Alabama which is as southern as it gets.
I never put marshmallows on this cake, but did use them on Mississippi Mud Pie. Recipes are very similar. Can’t wait to make this tomorrow!
Can I use shortening instead of butter
You probably could but I wouldn’t. It will definitely alter the flavour.
Merry,
This cake sounds wonderful, will fix it very soon.
Out here in Nevada, everyone always asks for a coke or Pepsi. If they ask for a coke, that's what they want and will send a Pepsi back, and visa versa. I drink sweet tea, don't care for soda's to drink but use coke to cook a lot of different things.
This cake seriously delicious Merry and was really easy to make! However after eating at least four pieces my waistline may not thank you 🙂
Merry,
This sounds good but on the complicated side for me 🙂
I have made "coke cake" the easy / simple / cake for dummies version.
1 box cake mix...one can Coke (not diet)... mix...bake per box instructions.
It is so sweet and sticky (coke) that ya eat it from the pan with a spoon.
I guess if ya add all the extra yummys from your recipe it would be better.
I am from Florida which is a little more northern than Alabama, too funny.
Thanks for the recipes!
This cake is fabulous. My mom has been making this since I was a kid and I am now 64 yrs old !!! My Grandmother also made this cake, my friends families made this cake all over the South. Never, but never have I ever had this cake with with marshmallows in it!!!!! So, Kristi who told you the original recipe had marshmallows in it ?? I don't think anyone knows who the originator of this recipe is , it has been around for years and years and re-emerging again. This is not a modern recipe. Eating this cake all over the South: Kentucky, Tenn, NC, WVa, Georgia and Florida (BTW only a few cities in Fla have a slight northern slant not the whole state), anyway in none of the above states did our friends make this cake with marshmallows. Only once a close friend of my Dad's wife added chocolate chips for her ten yr old son and they hated it with the chips in it. She ended up throwing it away and remaking it without the chips. And Kristi, your Southern? Was insulting, it was like you were saying she was fibbing. I can assure you this cake is Southern!!! Many people would be surprised that many of their Northern recipes that actually originated in the South. You know the war between the North in South has been over for decades but not when it comes to food coming out of the South....Some Northern cooks/chefs just can't stand to hear something's are a Southern recipe. Go Figure!!!! Did they ever once think that when they came into the South they also scooped up Southern recipes. Southern cooks are among the best in the world... I have heard French chefs interviewed that said just that!!!
I made this cake for a friend's birthday, and it is deelish! However, I don't have an 11 x 13 pan - I used one that was slightly larger, and the pan warped in the oven, much to my dismay. No one here at work cares, as long as it tastes good! But my question is this: can you (or have you ever) bake(d) it in a 9 x 13 pan? Just curious, as I have plenty of pans that size.
I haven't but it should work just fine in a 9X13. You would just need to bake it a bit longer.
It reminds me a lot of Texas sheet cake, from reading the recipe. I would like to try it!
My husband and are just about to start one... We just happen to have Coca-Cola in the house today so as soon as I get this baby to sleep we're going to get baking!
Mmm, just had a few bites...so good but it's almost time for us to go to bed so I hope it's just as good tomorrow as it is warm and fresh.
It will be! Enjoy.
Can this be made in a bunt pan? It looks sooo good. I realize the cooking time would be increased.
You don't turn the cake out. You serve it in the pan so I don't think a bundt pan would work. It would fall apart.
Can I use shortening instead of butter
Hi Merry,
Recently went ona diet to lose 30 pounds. I've already gained the 5 back thinking about making the Coke Cake. Guess there's always another day to-start over on the diet. ( unless there is really such a thing as "death by chocolate")
Please Keep up the good work. Don't get discouraged when ppl find fault. Life is too short to let fault finders do their deeds.
More chocolate -chocolate recipes, please!
Thanks Deborah! This cake is worth the 5 pounds. 🙂
To say this cake is delicious is an understatement. Chilled in the fridge the frosting was like fudge, sooo good. I used a 9" x 13" glass and it worked out perfect.
just made this cake for a potluck and asked colleagues to guess the mystery ingredient hehehe! I think I might have overbaked it a little bit (I forgot about it and baked for 40 min :()..but still delish I hope!
Merry ,
Wanting to make this for a larger group of 40/50ppl would be in a larger aluminum disposable pan like a 19x13x1 3/4. Would you double or triple this recipe??? For a celebration of life
I would triple if you are just going to make one but the ratio of cake to icing might be weird so it might make more sense to make two double recipes in two separate pans. Make sure and watch the time because I am not sure exactly how long it would take to cook.