Coca Cola Cake
Coca Cola cake is a Southern classic that’s deliciously sweet with a fudgy frosting. Make this recipe for an easy dessert that’s full of flavor!
Cola cake has intrigued me for years… it seems to be somewhat of a southern specialty and I’ve always been drawn to its similarity with Texas sheet cake (another Southern specialty). I’ve been obsessed with Texas sheet cake since taking my first bite of that utterly amazing boiled frosting that sets up like fudge on top of a warm cake. Talk about heaven.
This Coca-Cola cake is made in much the same way, except it also includes a can of cola in both the batter and in the frosting. It’s subtle, but you can totally taste the cola when you eat the cake, and I love the unique flavor. As if you would need any other reason to make this cake, but it can be accomplished using just one bowl, one small saucepan, and a measuring cup. Low maintenance is always a big selling point for me!
Ingredients
There are the usual staples in this coca cola cake recipe like flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and salt. Here are some additional items you’ll need:
- Butter – use unsalted and cut into small cubes so it melts faster
- Cinnamon – adds a warm flavor and compliments the flavor of the cola
- Cola – I used regular Coca-Cola, but any brand should work
- Cocoa powder – gives that rich chocolate flavor
- Buttermilk – adds moisture and tenderness to the cake, plus a little bit of tang
The frosting for coca cola cake is unique because it’s made on the stove. Doing this concentrates the flavor of the cola and makes the texture more like a glaze.
- Cola – make sure to reduce all the way to get the right consistency
- Butter – again, cut into small cubes for melting
- Cocoa powder – use unsweetened since there’s already a lot of sugar
- Powdered sugar – sift well to avoid clumps
How to make it
- Preheat the Oven – Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients – Grab a large bowl and whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the cake, minus the cocoa powder.
- Combine the Flavoring – Add one can of cola, cubed butter, and cocoa powder to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Make the Batter – Pour the cola mixture into the dry ingredients and combine with a rubber spatula until moistened. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Then add to the batter, whisking the whole time.
- Bake the Cake – Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and pop in the oven. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Make the Frosting – Pour the other can of cola into a saucepan and bring to a boil. It’s important to reduce it down to about ½ cup to get the right consistency. Stir in the cocoa powder and butter until melted together, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Put it all Together – Pour the frosting over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let the whole thing cool before serving.
Recipe tips and tricks
- Buttermilk – If you can’t find this in stores, you can easily make your own. Add ½ cup milk to a measuring cup and stir in ½ tablespoon of white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice. Let it sit at room temperature until thickened and curdled. Unsweetened yogurt can also be substituted for the buttermilk in equal amounts.
- Storage Instructions – If you manage to have any leftovers of your coca cola cake, they should be covered or kept in an airtight container. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Cake Size – You can halve this moist chocolate cake recipe and bake in an 8×8 baking dish. The full recipe can also be made into a sheet cake instead. Use a half sheet pan, which is the size you would typically use to make cookies. It might be smart to line the baking sheet with parchment paper after greasing to help the cake not stick to the pan.
- Layering – Because this cake has such a dense texture, it probably won’t work well as a layer cake. It would also be difficult to get that crunchy glazed layer of frosting in the middle, which is the best part!
- Adding Nuts – Chopped walnuts or pecans are a popular addition to this coca cola cake recipe and can be sprinkled on top of the frosting for an extra crunch.
This cake is extremely moist and while it packs a big chocolate punch, it’s not overly rich, which I love. I also adore topping it with a big old scoop of vanilla ice cream, which of course is optional, but encouraged. This is way too easy a cake to not add it to your recipe rotation immediately… I’m thinking it would make a perfect Sunday cake!
I hope you’ll make this the next time you’re craving something ultra-chocolatey! If you make it, I’d love if you would take a moment to stop back and share a review below, it helps other readers so much. ENJOY! 😍
Coca Cola Cake (Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- 12 ounce (340.2 ml) can cola
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 12 ounce (340.2 ml) can cola
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup (21 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups (454 g) powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the cola, butter and cocoa powder over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour into the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until moistened.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended. Add to the batter, whisking constantly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Make the Frosting: About 15 minutes before the cake is finished, begin the frosting. In a small saucepan, bring the cola to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to ½ cup, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter and cocoa powder until the butter is melted, then remove from the heat. Add the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time, whisking until smooth. Pour immediately over the hot cake in an even layer. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers should be covered and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe from Taste of Home)
[photos by Dee of One Sarcastic Baker]
I got this exact recipe from taste of home in 2022 and really like it. I scribbled notes all over it. I went back to re-copy it, but couldn’t find it in the same format to print. I searched and found your recipe in a printable format. Thanks a million for sharing it. Everyone should have this recipe, for at least one good chocolate cake.
I have a similar recipe that uses melted marshmallows with cocoa, butter, and coke saucepan mixture. The icing uses only 6 T of coke so no need to boil it down. My hubs and sons have to have coco cola cake for every birthday. My oldest is getting married and wants it as his grooms cake. Trying to figure out how to make this cake look attractive because it’s ugly as sin. LOL! But it tastes so good!
Made this yummy Coca Cola cake. My hubby loved it!! Great recipe! I am making it tonight for our Mother’s Day family get-together. ❤️😊
I’ve always loved this cake too! Especially when someone would bring it to our church pit luck growing up. I decided to find the recipe for our son who loves chocolate and come when my husband lets him have a sip. It’s his 2nd birthday and I can’t wait to see his face when he tries his coca cola chocolate cake for the first time :)
Thanks for the recipe
I made this cake for the first time today. I bake cakes regularly. I followed directions to a tee. This cake is soooooo sweet you can barely eat it. When I make it again I will reduce the icing, as this makes far too much, and reduce the sugar in the cake batter.
Delicious. I haven’t had Coca Cola cake in over 35 years and this one is even better than I remember.
My family and friends loved this cake. Perfect balance of sweetness and the Coke a Cola is very subtle, I did reduce the amount of cinnamon to half per other reviews and agree it just the right amount. If you love brownies than this is a recipe you should definitely consider.
Ive tried it many times most of the the time it fell flat in the middle WHY?
Never made a Coca-Cola Cake, but I’m glad I did. It came out so moist and delicious, I’m sure I’ll be making it again soon. The frosting put it over the top and thank goodness my babe made me wait to eat it because it soaked up all it’s goodness and I couldn’t get enough.
It is very good , moist and rich chocolate cake – i did my frosting different. I made a birthday cake and I used a chocolate Swiss buttercream topped off with a dark chocolate ganache it was incredibly good!
Maybe cut back 1/4 tesp on cinnamon – bit strong at 1/2
Turned out perfect! I haven’t made a Coca Cola cake in years, excited to see it posted. I swapped the buttermilk for almond milk with vinegar and let it stand 10-15 minutes as I prepped everything else.
Be sure to follow each word of the directions on frosting and keep in mind your oven and/or altitude. I knew my oven would be done a bit early so I timed it for 31 minutes and not a minute more. Could have been ready at 30. I didn’t use all of the frosting and the cake is just begging me to have a morning bite like it’s coffee cake. (But with my toddler nearby, he helps with my self-control.)
Thanks again for posting!!
I am really excited to bake this cake. Can I make it without the frosting ?
I am going to make this as a family and see if it is any good. It looks easy enough but if it turns out bad then who cares. It is just me and my fam at home.
Hey, This is so different dish I had never heard before. I will surely try this out, at my home.
This is very similar to how my grandmother makes it. Always turns out great and can’t beat the combination of cola and chocolate :)
I made this cake a couple of days ago. We don’t drink CocaCola at all, so I even bought the smallest bottle I could find to try this recipe. I am a sucker for a good chocolate cake, especially a “one bowl” type. Following the directions, I started making the frosting before the cake was out of the oven and pretty soon I had a thick, fudgy mess – nothing that even resembled “pourable”. I massaged it around on the cake so each corner had some but it was a disaster, looks-wise, hence the four stars. I guess it’s a good thing that we are self-quarantining and had to eat the entire thing ourselves. :). It was fabulous, though I never detected either the cola or the cinnamon. So…I am writing all of this to see if anyone has any idea about what I did wrong. I read and reread the recipe and everything was measured. The frosting just started turning fudgy right away.
This sounds delish!
Michele, you might want to mention that bakers should use regular cola, not artificially sweetened. Most artificial sweeteners cannot take heat and get funny tasting.