Coca Cola Cake

My daughter and I (this start is now becoming a familiar refrain) love to start our weekend by looking for recipes.  We start with desserts and tend to look for something that we have never tried.  A cola cake – using Coke as the wet ingredient.  Now that sounds interesting.  But if I have it for dessert after dinner, will I be able to fall asleep?  Who cares!

Before I share the recipe, I wondered what was the origin of Coke.  I know I have heard it before but could not remember.  The formula was invented by Dr. John Pemberton.  He created the recipe in a brass kettle in his backyard.  But Coca Cola was made what we know today by Asa Candler who bought the formula in 1887.  He was a master marketer and the rest is history.  Yes, it also used to contain cocaine and was originally a tonic.  But that was a long time ago.

 

Ingredients (adapted from Southern Living):

• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

1. Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk; set aside.

1. Beat butter and sugar at low speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla; beat on a low speed until blended.

1. Combine flour, cocoa, and soda in a bowl.

1. Add to butter mixture alternately with cola mixture; begin and end with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended.
2. Pour batter into a 13- x 9-inch pan  (See below for frosting recipe).

Frosting:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup Coca-Cola
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 16 oz powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla.  You want to pour the frosting on while the cake is still warm.

Let the cake and frosting site before covering.  We always refrigerate our desserts before serving.  Enjoy!