Coca Cola Cake recipe make moist coca cola chocolate cake. This southern classic is an easy chocolate cake recipe topped with rich fudgy frosting, and it’s made from scratch in just 30 minutes.
One of my family’s favorite recipes is Texas sheet cake. This coca cola cake is pretty similar to that recipe.
This cake bakes in a 9×13-inch pan instead of a jelly roll pan, so this cake is thicker. However, this cake is just as decadent, and it has the same fudgy icing.
So, if you like Texas sheet cake, give this moist chocolate coca cola cake a try!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, you will need to add about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to both the cake batter and the frosting.
- Cola: You’ll need almost an entire 12 ounce bottle of Coca Cola. Also, I recommend using regular, not diet, cola.
- To change up the flavor, you could use Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Cherry Coke, or root beer.
- Greek yogurt: Full-fat, low-fat, or fat-free Greek yogurt will work.
- If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can use all buttermilk in this recipe (for a total of 3/4 cup). To make a quick buttermilk substitute, you can use this recipe.
- Regular sour cream could also be used in place of the Greek yogurt.
- Powdered sugar: Sifting the powdered sugar helps prevent lumpy frosting.
- Nuts: Feel free to omit the nuts. You can also use a different type of chopped nut, like walnuts.
How to make Coca Cola cake
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Cake
Step 1: Combine butter, cocoa powder, and cola in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
Step 2: Stir in marshmallow, and heat until mostly melted. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Stir in dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and baking soda).
Step 4: Add eggs, and stir until blended.
Step 5: Stir in buttermilk, Greek yogurt, and vanilla.
Step 6: Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Step 7: Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Chocolate frosting
Make the icing during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Step 8: To make the frosting, combine butter, cocoa, and cola in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
Step 9: Remove from heat, and stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and pecans.
Step 10: Remove cake from oven, and carefully pour icing over the hot cake. Let the cake cool to room temperature in the cake pan.
Recipe Tips!
- Melting the marshmallows: Most Coca Cola cake recipes involve stirring the marshmallows into the batter. However, I’ve found that melting the marshmallows while stirring them into the batter helps them better incorporate into the batter.
- This cake tastes better as it sits. The cake has a subtle flavor straight out of the oven, but the chocolate flavor will come out more as the cake has a chance to rest. I’d suggest making the cake at least an hour or two before it will be served so that it can sit.
Storage
This cake can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. I place plastic wrap on the cut part but not over the entire cake.
I’ve found that covering the entire cake can cause the frosting to get soggy.
More chocolate cake recipes!
Coca Cola Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
Coca Cola Cake
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup cola soft drink
- 1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coca Cola Icing
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup cola soft drink
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
- Combine butter, cocoa powder, and cola in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
- Stir in marshmallow, and heat until mostly melted.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in flour, sugar, and baking soda.
- Add eggs, and stir until blended.
- Stir in buttermilk, Greek yogurt, and vanilla.
- Pour into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Make the icing during the last 10 minutes of baking.
- To make the frosting, combine butter, cocoa, and cola in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
- Remove from heat, and stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and pecans.
- Remove cake from oven, and carefully pour icing over warm cake.
Notes
- Cola: You’ll need almost an entire 12 ounce bottle of coca cola. Also, I recommend using regular, not diet, cola.Â
- Greek yogurt: If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can use all buttermilk in this recipe (for a total of 3/4 cup). To make a quick buttermilk substitute, you can use this recipe.
- This cake tastes best after sitting for at least an hour. I like to make it either earlier in the day or the day before I plan to serve it.Â
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!
Originally posted 2/27/18.
Reader Interactions
Love this recipe?
Share your thoughts below and let’s chat! Make sure to connect with me on your favorite social platform below and show me what you made!
Comments & Reviews
Grover says
This is the best cake I have ever tasted! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
Thank you so much!
Haley says
I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when I decided to try this cake. Boy was it good! Love the moistness and flavor.
Kate says
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Hope Smitherman says
Hey, I just finished making this and it looks amazing! I can’t wait to have it at the party I made it for tomorrow. I do have a question though. In the ingredients, you have greek yogurt listed but I didn’t see anywhere in the directions as to when to add it. Looking at a few other similar recipes, I didn’t see it included so I left it out. I do hope there are no ill effects of that decision. When should it have been added?
Kate says
Hey! So sorry about that! The ingredients are listed in the order that they’re used, so it should be added with the buttermilk and vanilla. It helps to make the cake extra moist, but I hope that it still tastes great without it. Again, sorry about the omission, and thank you for letting me know!
Michelle says
Love it! This is a great chocolate cake recipe. Thanks!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m glad that you liked it. Thanks for coming back to comment! =)
Bea says
Very moist cake. This was a hit with the whole family.
Kate says
Glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment!