Chocolate Coca Cola Cake Recipe

This Chocolate Coca-Cola cake features a moist pillowy crumb topped with a fudgy chocolate Coca-Cola Frosting. I dare you to try not to eat the frosting by the spoonful.

Cracker Barrel is a place that will always hold a special place in my heart from when I went to college. One of my favorite things on the menu is the Chocolate Coca Cola Cake Recipe. It features a moist chocolate cake and a super fudgy frosting.

This is probably my favorite restaurant dessert. Shhh, don’t tell Taco Bell’s Cinnabon Delights or Applebee’s Blondie that I’m cheating on them!

Since I graduated college we have no excuse to drive 2 hours just to visit Cracker Barrel, so here is my best copycat recipe.

Perfect For

• Birthdays
• Sunday Supper Dessert
• Potlucks, picnics, and reunions

Why I Love This Recipe:

1. Coca-Cola x 2: The Cola in the batter and frosting give it that little something extra you can’t put your finger on.
2. Moist cake: Thanks to buttermilk, this cake comes out super moist every time.
3. Fudge Frosting: The frosting tastes like you’re eating a piece of chocolate fudge. SO good!

History/Origin

Coca-Cola and Cracker Barrell have had a long partnership. They provide beverages and are also used in savory dishes like pulled pork or ribs.  The restaurant asked the soda brand to experiment with cake batter.

When they tried it, they liked it even better than their original cake recipe. The reason? The soft drink brand accidentally used twice as much cocoa as the recipe called for. The result was a super chocolatey cake. What a delicious mistake!

It has been on menus nationwide since the late 1990s, and it is ordered over 2 million times each year.

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

• Coca-Cola: For best results use regular not sugar-free or diet soda.
• Buttermilk: You can make your own buttermilk 1 cup of regular milk with 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar. Stir it up and leave it sit while you gather the rest of your ingredients and you’ll be good to go.
• Flour: Measure your flour by spooning it into your measuring cup. Dipping the cup into your flour will result in too much which leads to a dry crumbly cake.
• Baking Powder: Replace your baking powder every 6-12 months to ensure it works correctly.

How To Make Cracker Barrel’s Chocolate Cola Cake

1. Wet Ingredients: Bring butter, soda, and oil to a boil.
2. Stir in flour and sugar.
3. Remove from heat: Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Bake: Bake for around 30 minutes.
5. Make Frosting: Cream butter and cocoa powder. Stir in coca-cola, vanilla, and syrup. Gradually add powdered sugar.

Leftovers

• Storage: Store leftovers at room temperature for up 5 days.
• Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Tips

1. Don’t overmix: Mix until the flour just disappears. Overmixing leads to a tough dense cake.
2. Doneness: Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It is over if it has a few moist crumbs. If you see raw batter continue baking for a few minutes at a time.
3. Semi-Homemade Hack: Use a box cake mix but substitute Coca-Cola for the water called for.
4. Cool: Cool cake completely before frosting or it may melt off.
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge for an extra decadent treat.

More Chocolate Treats To Try

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Death By Chocolate Cake

Oreo Pudding Poke Cake

Chocolate Poke Cake

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Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

A moist pillowy chocolate cake topped with a fudgy chocolate Coca Cola Frosting.

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 602kcal

Author: Krystle Smith

Ingredients

For the Cake

• ▢ ½ cup Butter
• ▢ ½ cup Vegetable Oil
• ▢ 1 cup Regular Coca-Cola
• ▢ 2 cups White Sugar
• ▢ 2 cups Flour
• ▢ 2 Eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ▢ 1 tsp Baking Soda
• ▢ ½ cup Buttermilk or ½ cup Milk and 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• ▢ 2 tsp Vanilla

For the Frosting

• ▢ 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• ▢ ½ cup Softened Butter
• ▢ ¼ cup Coca-Cola
• ▢ ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ▢ ¼ cup Chocolate Syrup
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla

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Instructions

For the Cake

• Butter and flour a 13 x 9 inch sheet cake pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan combine butter, soda and oil. Bring to boil.
• In a medium bowl, stir flour and sugar until combined. Add to sauce pan, stir.
• Remove from heat. Stir in eggs, cocoa powder, baking soda, buttermilk, and vanilla.
• Pour in greased pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the Frosting

• In a large bowl cream butter and cocoa powder.
• Stir in cola, chocolate syrup, and vanilla.
• Gradually beat in powdered sugar.
• Frost cake while it is still warm. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

• Coca-Cola: For best results use regular not sugar-free or diet soda. 
• Buttermilk: You can make your own buttermilk 1 cup of regular milk with 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar. Stir it up and leave it sit while you gather the rest of your ingredients and you'll be good to go. 
• Flour: Measure your flour by spooning it into your measuring cup. Dipping the cup into your flour will result in too much which leads to a dry crumbly cake. 
• Baking Powder: Replace your baking powder every 6-12 months to ensure it works correctly. 

Tips

1. Don't overmix: Mix until the flour just disappears. Overmixing leads to a tough dense cake. 
2. Doneness: Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It is over if it has a few moist crumbs. If you see raw batter continue baking for a few minutes at a time. 
3. Semi-Homemade Hack: Use a box cake mix but substitute Coca-Cola for the water called for. 
4. Cool: Cool cake completely before frosting or it may melt off. 
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge for an extra decadent treat. 

Nutrition

Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 270mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 529IU | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 3mg

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