For the last week and a half we have been having a new food in our house every day. I was seeking out a new dessert to make when I stumbled over this Coca-Cola cake. I didn’t even know there was such a thing! It appealed to all my family – my husband is a coke drinker and my kids and I love chocolate – so it went onto our list of foods to try. I was slightly apprehensive, as I am not a fan of cola but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted this cake. There was barely any cola taste, instead it was simply a very light and delicate chocolate cake. Honestly, I felt a little gypped as it was so close to a regular chocolate cake that it didn’t really feel like we were tasting a new food.
We’ve been travelling around the America’s quite a bit with our new food adventure. The Tres Leches Cake was from South America. We’ve had Poutine from Canada, the Southern America favorite – Biscuits and Gravy, Moon Pies, Cornmeal Pancakes, Bison burgers and now this Coca Cola Cake. This cake is firmly rooted in the United States of America – how can it not be with the addition of Coke! – and all the information I could find online indicated that it is a Southern Food. Some of the most delicious and unhealthy food comes from the South – and this cake is right there along with that description. My love asked me if the Coke replaces some of the sugar used in a cake, to which I had to admit that it just added to the usual amounts!
Chocolate is a sure winner for my youngest, so it was great to have a new food that he did not screw up his face about. To give him credit – he has tried a bite of every new food so far. A miracle, I do declare!
I was going to make this cake with my own blend of gluten free flours, but when I popped down to my local shops they were out of tapioca flour. However, there was a new gluten free blend for me to try. And I can never resist that! Today’s new gluten free flour blend is Cup4Cup. I have used it a few times since making this cake, and so far I have been very happy with the results. It’s definitely been the best pre-made blend I have ever used for making cakes. I suspect that this is because it uses powdered milk in it’s ingredients. When baking with gluten free flours, I have found it helps to add a protein to help with building structure. I often will add egg replacer to my blend, but powdered milk is another option. It’s more expensive than the Namaste Flour blend I often use, but it’s a much lighter texture which helps with some recipes.
Overall, this cake was loved by all my family. My 5 year old has declared that this has been the best new food over the last 10 days. For me – it wasn’t my favorite, but it was pretty good. I’ll share some of my favorites over the next few weeks – as I’m planning on making them again!
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup Coca-Cola
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups plain flour or gluten free flour blend
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup Coca-Cola
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat the over to 350°F and grease a rectangular 13x9 inch sheet cake pan.
- In a large saucepan, combine the butter and Coca-Cola. Stirring regularly, bring the mixture to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and add the flour and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Add the eggs, cocoa powder, baking soda, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix by hand until well blended.
- Pour into the greased cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter.
- Add the Coca-Cola, cocoa powder and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Gradually beat in the powdered sugar.
