Southern Coca Cola Cake

Southern Coca Cola Cake is a delicious chocolatey cake with a decadent fudge icing. We take the best ingredients and combine them with Coca Cola and make this southern classic dessert.

chunk of coca cola cake

What is Coca Cola Cake?

In the South, you find many things we hold dear. God. Family. Fried cornbread. Greens. Fried chicken. Just to name a few. We also love our Coca Cola. So much so, we’ve been using it in recipes for decades. Stews, soups and this sweet classic. Coca Cola Cake

There is lots of speculation as to where this cake recipe came from. A home kitchen or straight from the Coca Cola company itself. One thing is for sure, it’s a southern favorite that has taken the whole country by storm.

Can I use a box cake mix with the same result?

There are many ways to make it but scratch is always best. Lots of folks like to add marshmallows or nuts to the icing but in my opinion, that makes it a Mud cake. So we go with the classic, no frills recipe.

I promise you will love it.

How to Make this Classic Coca Cola Cake

The two main components to this beautiful cake is the cake itself and then the icing. That icing is a real thing of beauty. We use this traditional fudge like ganache in so many ways but we make it something different for this gorgeous cake.

It looks like a lot of work to make this scratch made beauty but it is a labor for which you will be well rewarded. The chocolate is like no other and is unmatched in the world of Chocolate cake.

Let’s do it!

~Cake Ingredients~

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup Coca Cola ( I used Coke Zero)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk.
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

~Cake Method~

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Mix first 5 ingredients (dry) together and sift well. Set aside. 
  2. In a medium boiler, add butter, cocoa, coca cola and buttermilk. Heat until butter is melted and mixture just starts to bubble. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add to dry mixture and mix well.
  1. Lightly beat 2 eggs and add to cake mixture as well as vanilla. Mix well and pour in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until knife or toothpick comes out clean. Do not cook more than 35 minutes though because you want cake to be moist. Allow cake to completely cool before icing.

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~Icing Ingredients~

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1/2 cup Coca Cola
  • 3-4 cups confectioners sugar

~Icing Method~

  1. In a medium boiler, add butter, cocoa and coca cola. Heat on medium heat until butter melts and mixture starts to boil. Only boil for about 15-30 seconds and remove from heat.
  2. Add in confectioners sugar and mix well to get out any lumps and icing reaches desired consistency.
  3. Whisk icing until smooth and pour over cake and spread evenly. Allow cake to sit for 30 minutes to an hour for icing to set well. Slice and Enjoy!

*NOTE – I add in the whole 4 cups. I like for my Coca Cola cake to have the kind of icing that stands up on the top once it sets!

Tips and Tricks

Can I use another soda?

Feel free to substitute any soda here. The vanilla Coca Cola really shines but this would also be good with other soda flavors as well. We also used Coke Zero in ours and really can’t tell any difference.

What if I don’t have buttermilk?

You can use regular whole milk but there is just something about the balance that buttermilk gives to all of the sweetness. If you don’t have buttermilk, add a splash of white vinegar or lemon juice to your regular milk and allow to sit and thicken for 5-10 minutes, then you will have buttermilk!

Delicious additions

You can go crazy with this delicious icing. You can add peanuts or pecans about 1/2 to 1 cup for a nutty icing. Sprinkles to brighten the cake up or even other types of crushed candy that goes well with chocolate like Reese’s cups! YUM!

overhead view of slice and whole cake
coca cola cake un cut in white pan

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slice of coca cola cake on a blue and white plate

Southern Coca Cola Cake

Southern Coca Cola Cake is a delicious chocolatey cake with a decadent fudge icing. We take the best ingredients and combine them with Coca Cola and make this southern classic dessert.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Serving Size 15

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup Coca Cola I used Coke Zero
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk.
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1/2 cup Coca Cola
  • 3-4 cups confectioners sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Mix first 5 ingredients (dry) together and sift well. Set aside. In a medium boiler, add butter, cocoa, coca cola and buttermilk. Heat until butter is melted and mixture just starts to bubble. Let cool for 5 minutes. Add to dry mixture and mix well.
  • Lightly beat 2 eggs and add to cake mixture as well as vanilla. Mix well and pour in prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until knife or toothpick comes out clean. Do not cook more than 35 minutes though because you want cake to be moist. Allow cake to completely cool before icing.
  • In a medium boiler, add butter, cocoa and coca cola. Heat on medium heat until butter melts and mixture starts to boil. Only boil for about 15-30 seconds and remove from heat. Add in confectioners sugar and mix well to get out any lumps and icing reaches desired consistency. Pour over cake and allow to set 1-2 hours.

See How To Make It!

Notes

For the icing: I add in the whole 4 cups of confectioners sugar. I like for my Coca Cola cake to have the kind of icing that stands up on the top once it sets!

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