Whenever you’re in need of a cozy treat, Cracker Barrel dishes are a great place to take inspiration! This moist copycat Cracker Barrel Coca Cola cake with just a hint of cola flavor is bound to hit the spot.
This delicious, from-scratch cake is sure to be a hit, and our recipe makes enough to share with everyone! With Coca-Cola in both the cake batter and the frosting, you’re sure to get a hint of that refreshing cola flavoring. This quick recipe will become a staple at parties and potlucks once your friends and family get a taste!
The last several years, LO and SB have requested to eat at Cracker Barrel on their birthdays. We love getting the chocolate Coca Cola cake at Cracker Barrel as a complementary birthday treat while the staff sings the happy birthday song to the birthday girl!
This Southern homestyle staple has been around since the 1950s, and once you try it, you’ll understand how it’s stuck around so long. The Coca-Cola helps the cake to rise and keeps the dessert nice and fluffy.
Ingredient Notes
- Coca-Cola—To give rise and flavor.
- Vegetable Oil—Can be substituted with canola oil or coconut oil.
- Butter—Softened and unsalted.
- Cocoa Powder—Either sweetened or unsweetened.
- White Granulated Sugar—For the cake batter.
- Flour—All-purpose or cake flour.
- Eggs—Medium or large works well, or your favorite plant-based substitute.
- Buttermilk—If you don’t have any on hand, mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Baking Soda—To help the cake rise.
- Vanilla Extract—Enhances the sweetness in the cake.
- Salt—Just a pinch in both the batter and the frosting
- Powdered Sugar—For the frosting.
Equipment You Will Need
For this recipe, you will need kitchen staples such as mixing bowls and measuring cups, as well as a 9×11 baking dish for the cake, and a saucepan for the frosting. You can also use a 9×13 inch baking dish, but your cake will be a little bit thinner.
How to Make Copycat Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake
- Preheat the oven.
- Whisk together the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium sized pot, combine the butter, oil, coke, and cocoa powder over medium heat.
- Stir the ingredients constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Turn off the burner and pour the mixture into the bowl of flour/ sugar. Whisk the ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
- Whisk in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, salt, and baking soda until combined.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake until a toothpick can be cleanly removed from the cake.
- Let the cake cool while you prepare the frosting by combining the cocoa powder, butter, salt, and coke in a small pot over medium heat. Stir the mixture until it is just about to boil.
- Pour the liquid into a large bowl with the powdered sugar and whisk until homogenous and smooth.
- Use a toothpick or knife to poke holes in the cake before pouring the frosting over the dish.
- Cut the cake into squares, serve, and enjoy!
How to Serve and Store Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake
As stated above, be sure to let the cake cool for ten minutes before serving. We recommend serving with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup or chocolate fudge, whichever floats your boat.
If you have a cake stand and cover, store the cake using that. If not, you can refrigerate your leftovers in a sealed container for 3-5 days. When serving leftovers, you can eat it cold or microwave a slice of cake with a small bowl of water. The water helps keep the cake from drying out as it reheats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Coca Cola cakes come from?
While these cakes started appearing in Southern cookbooks in the 1950s, these Coca-Cola cakes became popular in the 1990s! Cola was a quick way to add depth to chocolate cakes that Americans would have easy access to in the second half of the 20th century.
What does adding soda to cake do?
One of the reasons cola cakes became popular post-Depression era is because soda acts as a leavening agent. When yeast and baking soda were harder to come back, soda would help cakes and breads rise without them. While our recipe uses baking soda, oil, and eggs, many soda cake recipes only use soda for all of these ingredients.
What flavor does cola add to cake?
Coca-Cola adds hints of vanilla, citrus, and cinnamon to your cake! It’s a delicious extra note of depth. The coke also helps elevate the flavor of the vanilla extract in the cake, giving you a very sweet, decadent dessert.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Mini marshmallows are often added to cola cake batter–they’re a delicious flavor and texture addition!
- To bring out the cola flavor, add a couple teaspoons of ground cinnamon to the cake mix and frosting.
- This cake is also great topped with a classic vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
Copycat Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake
Ingredients
Coca Cola Cake Batter
- 1 cup Coca Cola
- ½ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ cup Butter
- ⅓ cup Cocoa powder
- 2 cups Granulated sugar
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- ½ tsp Salt
Chocolate Coca Cola Frosting
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder
- ½ cup Butter
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Coca Cola
- 3 cups Powdered sugar
Instructions
To Make Chocolate Coca Cola Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
- In a mixing bowl, add in the sugar and flour then set aside.
- Add the butter, oil, coca cola and coca powder to a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Let the mixture melt and come to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Once boiled, remove from the heat and add this to the sugar and flour mixture, stirring together and combining thoroughly.
- Add in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, salt and baking soda to the mixture and whisk together for another minute until combined.
- Pour this into a 9×11 inch baking pan that is sprayed with baking spray or coated in oil and flour. Spread evenly.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until poked with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes while you make the frosting.
To Make Chocolate Coca Cola Frosting
- To make the frosting, heat the cocoa powder, butter, salt and coca cola over medium heat. Whisk continuously until it begins to steam, but before it boils.
- Pour this melted mixture into a bowl that has the powdered sugar and mix together until combined.
- Poke holes with a toothpick all over the cooling chocolate cake to allows some of the frosting to seep into the cake when coated.
- Pour the frosting all over the cake pan and spread evenly. Allow the cake to cool for another 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup!
Nutrition
And there you have it! This chocolate Coca-Cola cake is a delicious and decadent dessert that is sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth.
Enjoy Our Other Cakes at Planted in Arkansas
Easy Chocolate Cake with Homemade Chocolate Buttercream
Butter Pecan Praline Poke Cake (Number ONE recipe on the website!)
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