Best Old Fashioned Coca Cola Cake
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This easy, old fashioned Coca Cola cake is perfect for a dessert or snack any day! This decadent cake has a fudgy frosting added to the top of the cake, and it’s absolutely divine. It is sure to be your favorite cake year-round!
This chocolatey cake is definitely a chocolate lover’s dream with the deliciously sweet chocolate frosting that is poured over the top of the warm cake. SO GOOD!
This nostalgic cake has a yummy secret ingredient – Coca Cola! Its sweetness and carbonation create a tender, fluffy chocolate cake that’s sure to become a family favorite.
Like my Old Fashioned Dr. Pepper Cake, my Old Fashioned Pound cake and my Chocolate Pudding cake, this is one of our easy old fashioned cake recipes you will want to bookmark for later.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in Under an Hour: With a bake time of just 35-45 minutes, it’s a perfect choice for last-minute gatherings or celebrations.
- Perfect for Chocolate Lovers: Rich cocoa flavor paired with the unique taste of Coca Cola makes this a dream for any chocolate lover.
- Easy Recipe: Simple ingredients and easy steps make this a great cake for any skill level.
- Southern Classic with a Twist: Combining Coca Cola with a traditional chocolate cake gives it a one-of-a-kind flavor that’ll stand out at gatherings.
- Super Moist Texture: Buttermilk and Coke add to the cake’s fluffy, moist texture for an unforgettable bite.
Coca Cola Cake Ingredients
Today’s Coca Cola cake recipe is a wonderful chocolate dessert that is perfectly delicious. This one does take a few extra steps, so be sure to plan a little extra time for this recipe. I promise it is worth it.
Ingredients for moist chocolate Coca Cola cake
Cake
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Butter
- Coca Cola
- Buttermilk
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
Frosting
- Powdered sugar
- Butter
- Coca Cola
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
Equipment and kitchen tools
- Hand mixer
How to make chocolate Coca-Cola cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 13″ x 9″ baking pan with baking spray and dust with flour.
- In a bowl mix together flour, white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan bring butter, Coke, buttermilk, brown sugar and cocoa powder to a boil over medium-high heat whisking constantly.
- Remove the chocolate from heat and whisk the butter mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Spread batter into a pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
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For the frosting
- Melt butter, cocoa, and powdered sugar.
- Heat over the stove.
- Pour on top of warm cake.
- Let cake set and enjoy!
Don’t forget to bookmark this recipe. Trust me, you are going to want to make it again and again.
Tips for the Best Results
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring the eggs, cola, butter, and buttermilk to room temperature for a smoother, more even batter.
- Whisking Consistently: When melting butter with Coke and cocoa powder in the saucepan, whisk constantly for a smooth mixture.
- Baking Spray and Flour: Use nonstick spray and a light dusting of flour on your pan to ensure the cake comes out easily.
- Pour the Frosting on While Warm: The fudgy icing spreads perfectly over the top of the warm cake, soaking slightly into the cake to enhance the moistness.
- Allow Cooling Before Slicing: While it’s tempting to dig in, letting the cake cool slightly makes for cleaner slices.
- Baking Time: Keep an eye out on the cake as it bakes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, but no wet batter.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use Real Coca-Cola: Real Coca-Cola is a key ingredient in this recipe, so avoid using diet or sugar-free versions, as they may alter the flavor and texture of the cake.
- Add a Cherry Twist: For extra flavor, use Cherry Coke instead of regular Coke to create a cherry chocolate Coca Cola cake.
- Mini Marshmallow Topping: Sprinkle mini marshmallows on top of the hot cake before adding the frosting, allowing them to melt slightly into the icing.
- Try Different Cocoa Powders: Swap the regular unsweetened cocoa powder with Dutch-process cocoa powder for a richer flavor.
- Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream: This cake is delicious on its own but becomes a true Southern classic when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
FAQs About Coca Cola Cake
Yes! Cake flour will make the cake even softer. Just remember to use the appropriate substitution ratio—generally, you’ll need a bit more cake flour to replace all-purpose flour.
Store individual slices or the entire cake in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. It will stay moist for up to five days refrigerated.
The Coke adds sweetness and carbonation, creating a fluffy texture and unique flavor you can’t get from a standard chocolate cake recipe.
Yes. Fully melting the butter with the Coke and cocoa powder helps to combine the flavors evenly into the cake batter.
The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Start testing the cake approximately 10 minutes before the recipe states to avoid over-cooking.
Yes, this cake tastes great with cherry cola or vanilla cola. You could also try Dr. Pepper. I don’t recommend using diet coke.
More yummy cake recipes
Be sure to check out these other great dessert cakes I have shared in the past:
- Texas Sheet Cake – Another one of those delicious and moist chocolatey cakes!
- Lemon Bundt Cake – A light lemon cake with poppyseeds that is a tropical treat.
- Chocolate Mousse Cake – This easy Chocolate Mousse Cake is s a rich and indulgent dessert. Creamy chocolate mousse is layered between layers of moist chocolate cake, for a delicious chocolate dessert cake.
- Mango Coconut Cake -super easy to make and is perfect for all of your upcoming celebrations! Made with fresh mango and topped with a lovely cream cheese frosting, it is sure to become a favorite recipe!
- Banana Chocolate Chip Pound Cake -a wonderful dessert cake for any season. It is a beautiful cake as a complement with coffee or tea or as an afternoon snack.
We hope you enjoyed this delicious Coca cola cake recipe.
Old Fashioned Coca Cola Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup Coca Cola
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Frosting
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup Coca Cola
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 13" x 9" baking pan with baking spray and dust with flour.
- In a bowl mixed together flour, white sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan bring butter, Coke, buttermilk, brown sugar and cocoa powder to a boil over medium-high heat whisking constantly.
- Remove chocolate from heat and whisk butter mixture into flour mixture until smooth.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Spread batter into a pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- FROSTING
- In a medium saucepan, bring butter Coke, and cocoa powder to a boil over medium heat whisking constantly. Remove and gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth and pour over cake.
Notes
Nutrition
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Oh, Coke Zero! Good tip. I think this looks SO good. Summer amazingness.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
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Thank you so much for sharing Marilyn!
Your summary at the top mentions brown sugar in addition to granulated sugar, but brown sugar is not listed or mentioned at all in the recipe.
Thank you so much Deb for pointing that out! You are correct and we fixed the recipe card. Really appreciate you taking the time to let us know! <3
Thanks for posting at Funtastic Friday . Pinned.
Thanks for the pin Michele!