Crack open a can and make this Coca Cola Cake! Soft, chocolatey cake meets rich, fudgy icing in this classic southern dessert made with a not-so-secret ingredient. Scroll down to the recipe for a how-to video!
The Best Coca Cola Cake
If the idea of pouring soda into cake batter doesn’t sit right with you, let me ease your mind.
Southerners have been making soda cakes like this Coca Cola cake since the early 1950s. At that time, busy home bakers loved the versatility of the bubbly beverage; not only did it provide sweetness and moisture, but it also acted as a leavening agent, adding lift and air. Using soda saved time and money, and it made some seriously crowd-pleasing desserts.
It’s worth noting that the cola in this cake is not overwhelming; instead, it imparts a very subtle flavor that complements the chocolate beautifully. It’s like a lighter (in texture, not in calories), less chocolatey version of my devil’s food cake that’s both moist and flavorful. To finish, it’s topped with a thick layer of soft, just-set icing (like the one on my Texas sheet cake) that is one of my favorites.
Let’s get started!
What You Need
Making Coca Cola cake isn’t complicated, and neither are the ingredients! You’ll most likely have most these on hand already.
- Coca Cola. As mentioned above, cola adds a subtle flavor in addition to lift. It also adds acid, which balances the sweetness of the cake and the icing. If you don’t have cola, you could try substituting another dark soda, like root beer or Dr. Pepper.
- Butter. Between the cake and the icing, we need a lot of butter. While I often love to use a blend of butter and oil, I found it wasn’t necessary in today’s recipe and even weighed down the crumb too much. Skip the oil, you’ll still have a moist and very flavorful cake!
- Cocoa powder. Use plain, unsweetened/natural cocoa powder to give this cake its chocolate flavor. Do not use Dutch-processed cocoa; not only are the chemical properties different but Dutch-processed also has a more intense chocolate flavor that will overwhelm the cake and completely bully the already light cola flavor!
- Flour. Since we’re using cocoa powder and cornstarch in this recipe, stick with all-purpose flour. Cake flour likely won’t hold up properly with those two light ingredients.
- Sugar. We don’t need as much sugar as we would in your average cake recipe since we’re getting a fair bit from the cola. However, we do need to add some to achieve a tender, moist (and perfectly sweetened) cake. While I played around with using a blend of brown and white sugar, I ultimately settled on just granulated sugar, to better let the cola flavors shine.
- Baking soda and powder. When using acidic ingredients (cola, cocoa powder, and sour cream here!) it’s often necessary to use both baking soda and baking powder for proper rise.
- Sour cream. This adds moisture and fat, which ultimately enhances flavor. Full-fat plain Greek yogurt would also work here.
SAM’S NOTE: Traditional recipes like this Coca Cola cake have been passed down through generations, with each making their own modifications to suit their tastes. I’ve done the same with my recipe, omitting the marshmallows and pecans that appeared in the classic recipe, in order to let the cola flavor shine. The end result is a simple but standout chocolate cake that I think you’ll love. Side note: if you’re looking for chocolate cake that does include marshmallows and pecans, I suggest you try my Mississippi Mud Cake.
Remember, this is just an overview of some of the ingredients used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Coca Cola Cake
- Combine cola, butter, and cocoa powder in saucepan and heat until butter has melted and the mixture comes to a boil. The ingredients may be separated and it might not look pretty, but don’t panic! Things will come together a bit later on.
- Remove from heat and cool for several minutes before pouring into to dry ingredients.
- Add remaining wet ingredients and mix well until smooth and combined. With this cake, there’s a low-risk of over-mixing the batter and it’s more important to ensure that the ingredients are well-combined and the batter is smooth.
- Pour batter (it will be thin) into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Making the Frosting
- Reduce cola over stove until you have roughly ⅓ to ½ cup. This step is important, we cook out much of the water and concentrate the cola flavor.
- Add butter and salt and cook until the butter melts. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder (adding the cocoa to a warm liquid “blooms” it, helping to really bring out the rich chocolate flavors!).
- Add powdered sugar and whisk again until completely lump free.
- Immediately pour over warm cake. Allow Coca Cola cake and frosting to cool before serving… or be impatient like I am and scoop it out by the messy, fudgy, hot spoonful and slap some vanilla ice cream on top!
SAM’S TIP: This cake pairs perfectly with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
This cake is chocolatey, but with a crumb that’s a bit less intense and less fudgy than my chocolate cake. As with most Coca Cola cakes, the cola taste itself is understated, but it adds a unique flavor that you’ll be able to distinguish when you try it.
Yes! While I like it as is, you can certainly add a cup or so of chopped pecans or walnuts immediately after frosting. Just sprinkle them overtop! If you add them directly into the cake batter they may sink to the bottom.
I don’t see why not! Cherry, orange, or vanilla would all be worth a try. If you do try this, definitely let me know how it turns out in the comments.
Enjoy!
More Southern Recipes You Might Like
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Coca Cola Cake
Ingredients
- 12 oz (354 ml) Coca Cola 1 ½ cups
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter cubed
- ½ cup (50 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder see note
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (190 g) sour cream
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten. room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Frosting
- 12 oz (354 ml) Coca Cola 1 ½ cups
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter cut into pieces
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 9×13” (23x33cm) baking pan with baking spray.
- Combine 12 oz cola, butter, and cocoa powder in a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-heat until butter has melted (the mixture may separate in the saucepan, that is OK). Bring to a boil, stirring frequently then remove from heat and allow to cool while you prepare your dry ingredients.12 oz (354 ml) Coca Cola, 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (50 g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ¾ cups (350 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Pour cola mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract and stir again until the batter is smooth.¾ cup (190 g) sour cream, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour batter into prepared 9×13 (23x33cm) baking pan and transfer to 350F (175C) oven. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean. Baking time given is for a metal baking pan, glass or ceramic will take longer to bake (approximately 35-38 minutes).
Frosting
- While cake is in the oven or is cooling you can prepare the frosting.
- Pour cola into a clean medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until it has reduced in volume so that it is between ⅓ and ½ cup (79-118ml). You will need to carefully pour the cola into a heatproof liquid measuring cup to check if it has been reduced enough.12 oz (354 ml) Coca Cola
- Once cola has been reduced enough, add butter and salt and continue to cook over medium/low heat until the butter is melted (if the mixture looks a bit separated this is fine, it will come together in the next step).½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Remove from heat and add cocoa powder, whisking until smooth.3 Tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Add powdered sugar and whisk again until frosting is smooth and lump free and immediately pour/spread over warm cake.4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- Allow cake to cool and frosting to set before slicing and serving. This cake is great served by itself or with vanilla ice cream!
Notes
Cocoa Powder:
I do not recommend substituting Dutch-process cocoa powder, which has a stronger flavor and will overpower the already subtle flavor of the coca cola.Storing:
I always store this cake directly in the pan that it is baked in. It will keep, covered, at room temperature, for 3-5 days. The cake may also be refrigerated but keep in mind that this will dry out the cake. Coca Cola Cake may also be frozen (tightly covered) for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Judy Fenton
Sam this is the best chocolate cake ever! I’m so glad you told us about the mixture may separate in the saucepan, I would have thought I had done something wrong and pitched it out. You are the best! Love and hugs to you and yours
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Judy! 🙂
Raenell
Hi there and thank you for sharing your recipe. Can I make this into a two layer cake like maybe an eight or 9 inch
Sam
Hi Raenell! This cake should work just fine in 2 8 or 9 inch round pans. You will want to adjust the bake time. Be sure to keep an eye on it as I’m not sure how long they’d need to bake. 🙂
Shelly
Delicious!!
Robin
Can I use coke where the date on it was a month ago?
Sam
Hi Robin! That’s a personal choice, I can’t really give a recommendation on whether to use it or not. 🙂
Robin
Ok. I went ahead and did it and it turned out great. The coke still had a lot of fiz to it. Thanks so much Sam!
Sam
I’m glad it turned out! 🙂
Preanell Mitchell
I am going to make this cake real soon.I Love chocolate and this cake will be a plus for me that is why I gave this recipe 5 Stars.
Lorraine Cronin
Hi Sam,
I used Cherry Pepsi and it tasted great, thoughI had way too much icing and it poured off the cake and all over my counter. I tend to have this problem with glazes usually, do you have any advice? 😊
Sam
Thanks for the feedback, Lorraine! Are you pouring your frosting on while it’s still in the pan? If you invert it and pour the frosting on it’s probably going to end up running off simply because it’s meant to spread out. If you do choose to do it that way, I would put it on a rack with some wax paper underneath to catch the drippings. 🙂
RobF
I made the cake and frosting with Coke Zero and it turned out delicious. I’m sure Diet Coke would be okay also.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it went for you with that substitution, Rob! We really appreciate your review ❤
Ambriel
The cake came out beautifully light but the icing came out hard as a rock and terribly sweet. I made sure I measured 4 cups icing sugar and had to add some butter. What did I do wrong?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ambriel! We’re so sorry to hear that your icing didn’t turn out as expected. How did you measure your powdered sugar? It can be very easy to over-measure powdered sugar, just like with flour.
Rebekah
This is the best chocolate cake recipe I have found. Easy and better than a two days ago and refrigerated it. Got it out this morning to serve for my family’s Thanksgiving. Since there will be several other desserts, I cut the cake into small petit fours and placed them on a pretty tray. They now look so fancy and decadent. I would definitely recommend this way of serving if you are doing a dessert bar for a party. Looks like something a caterer would do.
Vicky
Soft fudge chocolate moist delish … a winner . Sam how many cups of batter is there as I may try a different size, although the rectangle is easy when your sneaking in slices, naturally just evening up😂
Thank You Once Again Vicky💛
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Vicky! We haven’t tried it ourselves, but this recipe should also work in a 10-inch bundt cake pan. It should also work in two 9-inch round cake pans or three 8-inch round cake pans, but stacking might get interesting with the frosting…🙃 Whichever you choose, keep an eye on it because the baking times will be different for different pans. Please let us know how it turns out!
Vanessa
So I just made this for a family birthday last night. I ended up making 2 8″ round cake pans so I can stack them. I made a panda themed cake and needed the height so I can use Pirouline cookies as bamboo around it. It was just enough batter and the height was perfect and it tasted AMAZING! As for the frosting, I ended up making 150% of what was called for. I increased because I needed to apply a middle layer (which I brought to room temp. so it wouldn’t pour over like a glaze and instead was like regular frosting) then I reheated for like a min or so, so I can pour like a glaze and then apply the Piroulines. Everything turned out perfect and everyone loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe and tips!
Sam
That sounds so awesome and delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much. 🙂
Shanthi
Hi Sam what’s the substitute for sour cream? Thank you 😊
Sam
Full-fat plain Greek yogurt will work 🙂
Lorley
My husband loves Coca Cola and I love chocolate. This sounds like a winner for us. Do you know if this will work with Diet Coca Cola?
Sam
Hi Lorley! I have only made this with regular coca cola but I don’t think it would be an issue to use diet. If you try it would you let me know how it turns out for you?
J F
Just have a question~ could I use Diet Coke?
Sam
I think that should be fine! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Violet Lemm
At 89 Iam not baking from scratch anymore. Could I just add the Coke to a Chocolate or Devil’s Food cake mix instead of the water, or wouldn’t it be enough to make a difference?
Sam
Hi Violet! I’m not sure how it would work. Let me know how it goes if you do try it. 🙂
Katherine
O…M…G…
Carmen
Can I use diet coke for less calories?
Thanks?
Sam
Hi Carmen! I’ve only ever used regular coke but I think it would work. If you try it out would you let me know how it turns out for you?
Tammy Williams
OMG……My Dad Loves Choc Cola Cake Thank You for this Recipe
Lisa
I have baked the coke cake three times in the last two weeks…Everyone loves it ..😃
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow! Sounds like our recipe really is a hit for you, Lisa. Thanks so much for using it again and again 🙂