My old school Coca Cola cake is up there in the chocolate cake hall of fame boos. The perfect moist melt-in-your-mouth texture comes from a blend of melted marshmallows, tangy buttermilk, intense cocoa powder, and rich butter. Each bite is filled with fudgy and moist deliciousness y’all. And that icing? Baby bye! This nostalgic throwback coca cola cake recipe never gets old.
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“I usually do dump cakes that have cola, so I was excited to try this one. It did not disappoint! Thank you!!”
—NED
I am a big fan of good ole fashioned country baking, especially when it comes to chocolate cake. Southern folk love their chocolate just like New England loves their seafood. And that’s where this bomb Coca Cola cake comes in. It’s a classic that never goes out of style.
This coke cake recipe has been around for so long that I can’t even properly trace its roots but let’s just say it goes way back. You may have tried it at Cracker Barrel or maybe your grandmama made it back in the day. Either way, it’s traditional Southern baking at its best. Let’s get into it!
What is Coca Cola Cake?
If you’re a Cracker Barrel fan, you may have seen a version of this cake on their menu. The original recipe is a gooey, fudgy and decadent chocolate sheet cake with a sticky chocolate icing which melts into the tender cake base. Coca cola is the main component that switches up the flavor and creates a unique texture you can’t find in another cake.
This copycat Cracker Barrel coca cola cake recipe is even better than the one you’ve tried in the restaurant. No lie.
The Lowdown of The Best Coca Cola Cake Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern comfort
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Can be made gluten-free with some adjustments
Key Flavor: Rich, fudgy chocolate with that distinctive cola flavor
Skill Level: Easy (No sweat fam!)
Moist and Fudgy
This cake ain’t not even close to dry! It’s beyond tender and downright delish from that added buttermilk, oil, butter and cola.
Beyond Easy
When it comes to a homemade cake, this is as about as easy as it gets. No need to be intimidated. You can do this!
Crowd Pleaser
Whether you serve this up at the cookout, a birthday party or at Sunday supper, this is a hit!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make this Coke Cake Recipe
For the Cake
- Mini marshmallows: These add a sticky moisture that softens the cake creating a chewy, almost brownie-like texture.
- Coca-Cola: The coke adds in that bomb dark brown sugary sweetness plus the caffeine enhances the cocoa powder making the flavor much richer.
- Oil and butter: I love a cake that balances the richness of butter with the extra moisture oil provides. Together they give you moisture and flavor boos!
- Cocoa powder: You can’t have a coke cake without some cocoa powder. Grab a high quality one to really create the ultimate indulgence.
- Buttermilk and Baking Soda: Buttermilk is a super moist liquid that adds a delish tangy vibe while also activating the baking soda to make the cake rise.
- Vanilla extract: Those aromatic notes give us some real flavor enhancement.
- Eggs: These are our rich flavorful binders pulling everything together.
- Salt: Don’t bake a dessert without adding some salt to balance the sweetness y’all.
- All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is gonna provide the structure for our cake.
- Granulated sugar: This is gonna sweeten that cake up just right.
For the Icing
- Butter: That creamy richness just can’t be duplicated boos!
- Cocoa powder: This gives that intense chocolate flavor
- Milk: Just a little helps smooth out the icing and provide moisture.
- Coca Cola: What’s a chocolate coke cake without a frosting with the same flavors? It gives the same goodness in the icing as it does in the cake batter.
- Confectioner’s sugar: This is our key ingredient in sweetening the icing and helping it stick and set on the cake.
How to Make Coca Cola Cake
Step 1: Heat it Up
- Heat the coca-cola, oil, butter, and cocoa over medium-high heat in a saucepan until it boils. Remove the mix from the heat as soon as it boils.
- Toss in the marshmallows and whisk until they melt down into the mixture. Set this mixture aside.
Step 2: Mix it Up
- Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix on low.
- Slowly pour the hot cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients. Continue mixing bringing speed up to medium speed.
Step 3: Finish the Batter and Bake it Up!
- Toss in those eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture until everything is well combined but don’t overdo it.
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared 9 x 13 pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
Step 4: Get to the Frosting
- Add the remaining butter, cocoa powder, milk, coca cola, vanilla extract, and confectioners sugar into a pot over medium-high heat. Whisk together until boiling and well-mixed.
- Remove the cake from the oven when it’s ready and pour the hot frosting right on top of the cake.
- Let the cake cool and then it’s ready to slice and serve it up.
How to Serve Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake
- A La Mode With Ice Cream: Get your whole life by serving coke cake warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, coffee ice cream or cookie butter ice cream.
- Drizzle it Up: Take this coca cola cake over the top with a drizzle of caramel sauce or ganache.
- Whipped Cream: Lighten up the chocolate intensity with a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
- Potluck: If you bring a big ole pan of this coca cola cake to the next potluck, you will be the MVP, hands down boos.
- Easy Sunday Supper: Serve up slices of this cake after a delish dinner of meatloaf, cream cheese mashed potatoes and honey carrots. That’s good eatin!
- Chocolate Buffet: Create a fun chocolate dessert spread with coca cola chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes and chocolate pound cake.
Recipe Substitutions
- Coke: Can you seriously replace coke in a coke cake? You can for real boos. Try Pepsi, root beer, Dr. Pepper or another generic cola brand. It may give a slightly different flavor profile but it will still hit hard!
- Canola Oil: As long as you use a neutral oil like a vegetable oil or peanut oil, you should be all good.
- Unsalted Butter: Grab salted if you don’t have unsalted around. Just leave out the salt in the recipe.
- Mini Marshmallows: You can chop up regular or jumbo sized marshmallows if you don’t have minis around.
- Buttermilk: Boos, you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of regular milk. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to curdle and use the amount you need in this recipe.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Gluten-Free: Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 ratio gluten-free baking flour to make this perfect for your boos with gluten sensitivities.
- Booze it Up: Just a shot of amaretto, rum, bourbon or even some Bailey’s Irish cream will pop the flavors for my adult boos.
- Swirl it Up: A nice swirl of a 1/2 cup of cheesecake batter or peanut butter into the cake batter before baking can change the flavor profile to something super fun.
- Fold In Fruit: Folding in 1 cup of chopped cherries, blackberries, or raspberries can truly add a seasonal flair and contrast of the chocolate in this cake.
- Get Nutty with it: Change up the texture by folding a cup of chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans into the batter before baking.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Go with Quality: Don’t forget to go all in on the quality of your cocoa powder and vanilla extract brands. It makes such a difference in the end.
- Don’t Overmix: Nothing makes a tough texture like overmixing. If you keep on mixing, you will overactivate the gluten creating a denser cake.
- Toothpick Test: Make sure that coke cake is done baking boos. Use a toothpick and insert in the center. If it comes out clean or mostly clean with just a few crumbs, it’s all good.
- Pour the Icing Fresh: Make sure you add the icing right after you make it so it sets up correctly.
- Chill Out: Don’t cut into that cake right away. Let the cake and frosting set up so it is easier to slice and the tender cake doesn’t fall apart.
How to Store
- Room Temp: You can store coke cake leftovers for up to 3 days at room temp boos.
- Fridge: Make sure it’s cooled to room temp, wrap with plastic wrap tightly then pop in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Make sure it’s all the way cooled down then wrap individual slices (my preferred way to freeze) in plastic wrap and then an extra layer of foil for more protection. It’s easier to thaw the amount you need this way. Don’t forget to add the date. It should last up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the most authentic flavor, you definitely want to use regular Coke. Diet coke will change the sweetness, flavor and moisture of the finished cake.
Yep boos, you definitely can make a day or two before you serve it! After pouring the frosting over the hot cake, let it cool completely and then wrap it up. Store it at room temp and cut it the next day when you’re ready to serve.
The coke in coke cake is actually pretty subtle. What it does is enhance the chocolate flavor and adds more moisture to the recipe. The end result is super tender with an almost chewy texture. It has a very different texture than traditional chocolate cakes like my Chocolate Birthday Cake or even this Flourless Chocolate Cake which sets it apart.
More Southern Cake Recipes
- Hummingbird Cake Recipe
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Chocolate Pound Cake
- Southern Caramel Cake
- Peach Pound Cake
- Strawberry Cornmeal Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Coca Cola Cake Recipe (Coke Cake)
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup coca cola
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup mini marshmallows
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk or coconut milk if desired
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3 tbsp Coca Cola
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 lb confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saute’ pan, add coca-cola, oil, butter and cocoa and heat over medium high heat until it boils. Cut off heat once it boils.
- Next add in marshmallows and whisk together until the marshmallows melt into the mixture and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add sugar, flour and salt and mix on low. Slowly pour in hot cocoa mixture and continue mixing bringing speed up to medium speed.
- Next add in eggs, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Spray a 9×13 sheet cake pan with non-stick baking spray. Pour the cake batter into the pan and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
For the Frosting
- When the cake has about 10 minutes left of baking, add butter, cocoa powder, milk, coca cola, vanilla extract and confectioners sugar into a pot over medium high heat and whisk together until boiling and well mixed.
- Once cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and pour the hot frosting on the top of the cake and let cool. Then slice and serve.
Notes
- Room Temp: You can store coke cake leftovers for up to 3 days at room temp boos.
- Fridge: Make sure it’s cooled to room temp, wrap with plastic wrap tightly then pop in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Make sure it’s all the way cooled down then wrap individual slices (my preferred way to freeze) in plastic wrap and then an extra layer of foil for more protection. It’s easier to thaw the amount you need this way. Don’t forget to add the date. It should last up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This post was originally published April 2018. It has been updated with new content and images.
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Hi Jocelyn…
Would dutched cocoa powder work at all in this particular recipe that calls for both baking soda and buttermilk?
Yes you can sub here. I would replace the baking soda with baking powder about twice the amount. Try this out and see how it works.
Love
Thank you so much!
My mother use to make, what she called, a Chocolate Sheath Cake, which was very similar to this recipe. Since her earthly birthday was 7/22 and we had our family cookout on the same day, I made this for her birthday cake! It was well received! Thank you for sharing
Love that idea, such a sweet way to remember her by, so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Oh this is awesome! I usually do dump cakes that have cola, so I was excited to try this one. It did not disappoint! Thank you!!