Coca Cola Cake...It's a Southern Thang!



It seems like almost every other day now I get someone asking about the Coca Cola Cake recipe and there is a good reason for that... it's delicious and it's a southern thang!    I love to use Coke to cook with and if you have been reading my recipes long, you will have noticed that.  The carbonation, sweetness, cola and acid in Coke products just do good things to some food....barbeque, sweets, sauces, and even congealed salads.  My mother has been replacing the water in cakes with Sprite for years now.  It's a family secret...so shhhh,  don't you dare tell anyone!

There are several different variations and recipes for the classic "Coca Cola Cake" and while they are all good, this recipe turns out better than any of them.  It is not hard to make and it is one of the most moist chocolate cakes you will ever bake.  If your family is like mine, you have to have something chocolate for the holidays and this is just the cake to have. Make this cake and take it to dinner, wherever your dinner is this year,  and you will be the star, I guarantee it!   Here is what you need:


2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter
3 Tbs. cocoa
1 cup Coca Cola
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Icing
1 stick butter, melted
3 Tbs. cocoa
7 Tbs. Coca Cola
1 box confectioner's sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  In a saucepan, heat butter, cocoa, and the Coca Cola until it boils.  Pour hot mixture over the flour and sugar.  Mix well.  Add the buttermilk, eggs, soda, vanilla and marshmallows and mix well.   The marshmallows will rise to the top and the batter will seem thin, but that's ok.   Pour into a 9"x13" baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick baking spray.   Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or just until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean.




As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, make the icing.  Place the butter in a saucepan on medium heat with the cocoa powder and Coca Cola.  Heat until the butter is melted and it is all well blended.  Pour over the box of confectioner's sugar and mix until it's smooth. If you are adding nuts, stir them in.  Spread the icing over the cake while it is still warm.  That's it, now pour a big glass of milk and cut the cake!  Wasn't that easy!



Coca Cola Cake!





43 comments:

  1. We have enjoyed this cake at Cracker Barrel! It would be great to make it at home! Linda

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  2. This is one of the best cakes there is, and easy to make. Was first introduced to this back in the south in the early 1970's, great was to start the marriage off. I was learned to cook and this came out right every time....

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    1. THIS CAKE IS VERY EASY AND IT'S SO-OOOOOOO YUMMY! LOVE IT , TRY IT.

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    2. yes, my mother used to make this 30 years ago in Alabama :) I was SO happy to see the recipe here!

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  3. The first cake that I made from "scratch". Delicious. I have only been married 37 years and this was my first attempt. Thanks.

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    1. Haha'! Same Here! Lord knows I cant cook. But it came out great!

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  4. Do you have a cookbook with all these great southern recipes? If you don't, well you should! lol I'd throw away all my other cookbooks and just use yours!

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  5. San u use diet coke in this

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    1. Yes but why would you want to?

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    2. My sister just made this but with Diet Coke and it is soooo good!!!!

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  6. Yes, you can use diet coke. That is what I used.

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  7. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  8. How much powdered sugar is in a box? I always buy the bags... Silly question, I know, but I have all the ingredients on hand, otherwise I'd look at the box at the store...

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  9. Mindi, a box of powdered sugar is a lb. so if you have one of the larger bags it's 2 lbs., use half of it.

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  10. ok what did I do wrong? the cake came out tasting very good! BUT it was not very thick and it seems the icing was about as thick as the cake and it was not easy to spread cause it started getting hard like fudge! :(

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  11. I don't know what you did wrong, but my guess would be that your Coke product was flat. The carbonation is what makes the cake rise. One the icing, sounds like you cooked it too long and it actually started to crystalize some or you used too much sugar ro too little liquid.

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    1. I used a fresh can of coke so I know that was not the problem and I went by the recipe exactly!

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    2. I've heard it's best to use soda at room temp and not right or of refrigerator. Not sure if that will help or not.

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  12. Hi.
    I'm from Australia and find some of your recipes unusual to say the least :) I am wondering how many grams is a stick of butter?
    Cheers Nicole.

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  13. Nicole, a stick of butter is 113.4 grams.

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  14. Anonymous, I have no idea why our cake didn't rise, because I wasn't there when you made it. Maybe you used a larger pan than was called for and this made it thinner. I don't post any recipe on here that we have not made and usually we have made it many times to be sure of the results. However, I cannot predict the results each person will get. It can vary due to so many things.

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  15. I have this recipe from my Grandmother. Soooo good and easy to make.

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  16. do you have a cookbook out?

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  17. hey kathy do you know the recipy for a gooey chocolate cake

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  18. Can you use cherry coke?

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  19. Do you have a cookbook?

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  20. Do you happen to have a Peanut Butter Cake recipe? My husbands mother used to make it for his birthday. He keeps saying the frosting would become firm, so you could break pieces off. He keeps relating the frosting to praline.
    His 66th birthday is coming and I love for him to be able to revisit his childhood.
    Thank you in advance.

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  21. So glad you posted this. It seems whenever my daughter takes my 3 yr old grandson to Cracker Barrel, he stops every server, and wants the Coca Cola cake, lol. I remember my Mom always used Coca Cola on her ham, and marinated beef in it.

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    1. He's a smart boy! :) I hope you all enjoy it!

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  22. Sometimes people are not aware that there is an expiration date on the bottom of the soda can. I've opened new cans and they were flat, then looked at the bottom and found out why. I do "cheat" at times and put a little baking powder in with my flour if the flour is a little older than I wanted to use but don't use it that much so I keep it in the freezer. Apartment living allows critters that can get into opened bags...I remember Momma making this when I was a kid; it was good! thanks for posting it :)

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  23. I follow you on FB but this is the first I've visited your blog! I will pay closer attention! You always share the best recipes!!

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  24. Kathy this cake is more then wonderful,. It's one of the best anything you put on here us great I've nit tried all of them but I'm going to say at least 75% of them the lady was asking you why her cake did not rise I've had mine to do that and it had something to do with the Temp I'n the kitchen I'm not saying that's what happen but mine did,.. But back to the cake it's one of the best cakes I've made it's not dry real moist and yummy

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  25. Looking forward to trying this soon. Reminds me a little of the Texas Sheet Cake...The lady whose cake didn't rise, could your baking soda be old?

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  26. Just made the cake..It was awesome...ADD A SCOOP OF ICE CREAM ON TOP....yum!!!!


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  27. you do know that coca cola cake came about due to sugar rationing in WWII. The soda companies were exempted, thus coca cola cake, and ham glazed with coca cola!!!

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  28. I'm gonna try this! Looks like a Texas Sheet cake.

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  29. Can I use regular milk if I don't have buttermilk? I once saw a substitution for buttermilk....I think it had a teaspoon of vinegar added to it to make it sour?

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  30. I have never liked marshmallows so are they crucial? If so I guess I'll try it and might learn a new appreciation for them. Thanks.

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  31. my batter was thick, will my cake still turn out? (I accidently mixed the flour mixture and hot mixture a little before adding everything else)

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  32. Can you use Cherry Coke in this recipe???
    Also can you make cupcakes with it???

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  33. What size is 1 box confectioner's sugar?

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