Old Fashioned Coca Cola Cake Recipe (Coke Cake)
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup vegetable oil, or canola oil
½ cup unsalted butter
7.5 ounces Coca Cola, 1 mini can or 1 cup
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Frosting
½ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons heavy cream, or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ¾ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, and flour. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the oil, butter, Coca Cola, and cocoa powder. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.
Once the Coca Cola mixture boils, carefully dump the flour mixture into it. Beat with a hand mixer or using a large wooden spoon until well combined.
Mix in the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and baking soda. The batter will form small bubbles.
Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before preparing the frosting.
To make the frosting, combine the butter, cocoa powder, and cream (or milk) in a saucepan. Heat over medium until the butter melts. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the pan and beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
Pour the frosting over the warm cake and spread with an offset spatula.
Notes
Make sure to use regular Coke, not a reduced sugar or diet variety, for this cake recipe.
The cake batter forms lots of tiny bubbles from the Coca Cola and the baking soda. The baked cake will also have those tiny bubbles across the surface.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
The frosting is a non-traditional consistency. It is delicious, with almost a caramel-like chew to it. Pouring the hot frosting over the warm cake adds a bit of extra moisture at the top of the cake and is really delicious.
Root Beer Float Pie
Ingredients
¾ cup cold root beer, your favorite brand
½ cup cold whole milk
2 tablespoons root beer concentrate
3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
8 ounces whipped topping, thawed (remove ½ cup for topping)
6 ounces pre-made graham cracker crust
Maraschino cherries, optional garnish
Instructions
Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the root beer, whole milk, and root beer concentrate to combine.
Whisk in the instant vanilla pudding mix. Continue to mix for 2 to 2½ minutes. Allow the pudding mixture to sit for 6 to 7 minutes to begin to set.
Fold in the thawed whipped topping, minus the ½ cup for the topping.
Evenly spread the mixture into the graham cracker crust.
Spread the reserved ½ cup whipped topping over the top of the pie.
Cover the pie and freeze for 8 hours to overnight. Serve immediately.
Notes
Plan to make this the night before since it needs at least 8 hours to chill before serving.
If your pie crust is in a foil tin, we’d recommend sitting it (foil pan and all) inside a glass pie dish to give it a bit more stability when taking it in and out of the freezer.
Do not throw away the protective plastic lid that comes with the graham cracker crust. Invert the plastic and use it as a lid when freezing the pie.
