Get this Cracker Barrel copycat recipe for a southern staple dessert – Double Chocolate Fudge Cola Cake.
Chocolate Cola Cakes appear to be a staple dessert here in the South. It seems like you see them all over the place, including in every Cracker Barrel restaurant all over the country. Today, I am sharing my take on this rich dessert. When I made this recently for my family, my son declared that it was his “new birthday cake.” A funny response since he had given me “the look” when he saw me pouring cola into the cake batter. I’ll take it!
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease & flour a 9×13 baking dish (or spray with baking spray.) Set that aside for now.
In a measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk them together and set aside for now.
In your mixing bowl, combine 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir together and set aside for now.
Now for the cola. Now look, I know that the original uses “Coca-Cola”, but to be honest, I haven’t bought that in years. I don’t really drink soda any more because…well I just think they are yucky. On the rare occasion that soda does make an appearance in my house, it is natural (high fructose corn syrup free) sodas. So today I am using a bottle of natural cola. Use whatever you have in your house.
In a saucepan, combine 12 ounces of cola, 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, and 1/4 cup baking cocoa.
Heat these over medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the butter is all melted. Remove it from the heat.
Pour the mixture into your mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Add in the buttermilk mixture, and again, beat until it is no longer lumpy. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
Bake this for 35-40 minutes or until the cake tests done in the center with a wooden tooth pick.
As soon as the cake is done baking, prepare the icing. In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup (2 stick) of unsalted butter that is cut into pieces, 3 tablespoons of baking cocoa, 6 tablespoons of half & half, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Stir these over medium heat until the butter is melted.
Add in 4 cups of powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
Pour the icing over the hot cake.
Serve the cake warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy!
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Double Chocolate Fudge Cola Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1/2 c buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 2 c sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 12 oz cola
- 1 c butter, unsalted
- 1/4 c baking cocoa
For the Icing:
- 1/2 c butter, unsalted, cut into pieces
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 Tb baking cocoa
- 6 Tb half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 c powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Cake:
- To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x13 baking pan. Set it aside for now.
- In a measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together and set aside.
- In your mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together and set aside for now.
- In a saucepan, combine the cola, butter, and baking cocoa. Heat these over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is all melted. Remove it from the heat.
- Pour the mixture into your mixing bowl and mix until smooth. Add in the buttermilk mixture, and again, beat until it is no longer lumpy. Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake this for 35-40 minutes or until the cake tests done in the center with a wooden tooth pick.
For the Icing:
- As soon as the cake is done baking, prepare the icing. In a saucepan, combine the butter, baking cocoa, half & half, and vanilla. Stir these over medium heat until the butter is melted.
- Add in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Pour it over the top of the hot cake.
- Serve the cake warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
You mention butter 2 sticks is 1 for the cake and 1 icing?
We LOVE this cake!! Great recipe!!
Having lived in the South for half my life, I’ve never had a cola cake ::HIDES:: I do suppose this means I must try it ASAP!
My grandmother used to make this cola cake when I was little. She passed this past October at the age of 100 and I’m still going through her recipes and haven’t found this one yet. I’m going to try yours soon to share with the family and reminisce. You brought back memories for me, and as usual your photos are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen!
I think you accidentally left the cocoa out of the ingredients list for the icing. It’s mentioned in the pictures, but not in the recipe.
Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! I have corrected the printable :)
I must admit, I’m not a Cracker Barrel fan. Might be the only one out there. But this cake could get me through the door – or, you know, I could just make yours! Looks divine.
This must be a Southern thing because this is the first I’ve heard of this dish. I can see how the flavors would work in a dessert.
I have never tried a cola cake, but I really think I must now. This has my mouth watering. I love gooey sweets like this.
I made my first cola cake this year and the family loved it! I think I better mix up another soon!
I love how easy and I bet delicious this is.
Constance,
This looks really tasty and it’s so pretty. The icing poured over the top, warm with a scoop of ice cream~I’m in heaven! Great recipe!
I have heard so much about this cake and your version looks absolutely amazing!
Yummy, makes me think of a Texas Sheet cake the way the icing is poured over top of the cake. I would devour this in a heartbeat!
I’ve never tried this but I love the cola and cocoa combination…I bet it tastes amazing!
I love cola cakes. The recipe we normally made has marshmallows in it and is a tiny bit more complicated. I like your streamlined version even better.