Coca-Cola Cake

PIN this recipe for Coca-Cola Cake now… So you can make it later!

So here’s how this recipe came about. We have a pretty strict rule in our house called “No Ingredient Left Behind.”

As in, we try super hard not to throw out any ingredients that are left over from a previous recipe. If I have leftover ricotta cheese from making ricotta meatloaf, that leftover ricotta is going in ricotta scrambled eggs the next day. Etcetera and so on.

And recently I decided to do a slow cooker Cola Pot Roast version of my dad’s famous Coca-Cola ribs, and guess what was left over?

Yep, these two lonely cans of Coke. And since none of us in this house are really soda drinkers, they needed a recipe. And guess what recipe calls for exactly two 12 ounce cans of cola?

This easy Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake!

It’s going to look like a lot of steps, but I promise they are all easy, and you are going to end up with a traditional Southern sheet cake situation that tastes like the best fudge you’ve ever tasted, but in cake form.

Ingredients You Need To Make Coca-Cola Cake!

Here’s How To Make Coca-Cola Cake!

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

STEP 2: Put 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sugar, a teaspoon of baking soda and a half teaspoon each of salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Use a whisk to stir them up together thoroughly and set them aside.

STEP 3: Put 2 eggs, a half cup of buttermilk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small bowl AND whisk ’em up until well combined and set that aside too.

STEP 4: Put 12 ounces (one can) of cola soda in a medium pot.  Add a cup of room temperature butter and a quarter cup of unsweetened baking cocoa in with the soda, stir it all up with a whisk and then bring it to a boil over medium high heat (the butter should all be melted and you should see bubbles around the edges).

STEP 5: Add the cola mixture to the flour mixture (be careful, it’s hot!) and stir until everything is combined. 

STEP 6: Add the egg mixture to the flour and cola mixture and use a whisk to get it all combined and as smooth as you can.  Pour this glorious chocolate concoction into the 9 x 13 pan, pop it in the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out clean.

STEP 7: Once the cake is in the oven it’s time to start the frosting!  Put another 12 ounces of cola soda into a medium pot and bring it to a boil.  Let it boil until it is reduced to about a half cup (about 15 minutes). 

STEP 8: Lower the heat to a simmer.  Stir in a half cup of room temperature butter and a quarter cup of unsweetened cocoa and whisk until the butter is melted and everything is all mixed up thoroughly.

STEP 9: Now take one last large mixing bowl and put four cups of confectioners sugar in it.  Give the sugar a good mixing with a dry whisk to break up and clumps, then pour the hot cola mixture in with the confectioner’s sugar (again being careful – it’s also hot!).  Whisk it all up together until it is as smooth as you can get it.

STEP 10: As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the frosting over the top of it, making sure you cover the entire top.

STEP 11: Here comes the hardest part: let the cake and frosting cool completely before you cut into it.  And if you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge.

More Tips for making Coca-Cola Cake!

Now, I originally cut this cake into 12 pieces, and that’s what the recipe below calls for.

HOWEVER.

This cake is rich and delectable and like the best ever combo of chocolate fudge and chocolate cake, and you could easily cut it into 16 squares and everyone will still feel like they got their fair share of Coca-Cola Cake.

And that way you can serve it with ice cream on top with a completely clear conscience. :)