Coca-Cola chocolate cake is thick and fudgy with a smooth chocolate frosting that pours over the hot cake and sets up. This classic cake is found on the menu at Cracker Barrel, and now you can make it at home!

You might also like our Texas sheet cake, Rocky Road Texas sheet cake (covered in marshmallows!), or classic chocolate cake.

Watch our step by step video!

A classic Southern cake made with basic ingredients and bubbly Coca-Cola. You can’t taste the soda in the cake, but it adds softness, and sweetness, and amplifies the chocolate flavor. You might look at the recipe and think that it’s just a Texas sheet cake, but you’d be wrong. Both cakes are delicious, but I think this Coke cake might be better! It’s moist, rich, and has the best texture. Because the cola cake is made in a smaller pan, the fudgy icing is thicker and doesn’t have to spread out as much.

(source unknown)

What Is Coca-Cola Cake?

I found the recipe above on Pinterest, but it wasn’t linked to a source. Coca-Cola Cake? I was intrigued. When I read the ingredients, I instantly recognized it as being very similar to my Texas sheet cake recipe. I use more cocoa and don’t use oil, but you get the idea. The main difference is that instead of using water, it uses Coca-Cola. I decided to take it a step further and eliminate milk in the frosting and use Coca-Cola in that as well. The result was a delicious chocolate cake with a smooth and fudgey frosting. It’s insanely delicious and just as easy to make as Texas sheet cake.

What Makes This Recipe a Keeper

Basic ingredients: No fancy chocolate bars to chop up or melt. All you need is basic baking cocoa, and you still get a rich chocolate flavor. I use a combination of Hershey Special Dark baking cocoa and regular baking cocoa, but you can use whatever you like.
Bakes up quickly: From start to finish, this cake is made and baked in under an hour. You’ll just need to be patient to allow it to cool before slicing.
Easy to customize: Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the top, or mix into the frosting before pouring over the cake. You can also add sprinkles. This would be a delicious cake to make for a birthday.
Serves 12-18 people: This cake makes 12 generous portions, 18 if you want regular-sized slices.
Can Be Made In Advance: Coca-cola cake tastes just as delicious the next day and since you want to let it cool completely before serving it’s a great option to make in advance.

According to the Daily Meal, “Many recipes for the Coca-Cola cake were originally passed along via word of mouth amongst friends, making it nearly impossible to trace when exactly Coca-Cola cakes originated. The first published recipe for a Coca-Cola cake dates back to 1952 when the Charleston Gazette awarded the dessert a second place prize in the ‘unusual’ dishes category and third place overall.”

I feel like this is how you know it’s a great recipe. Old-school word-of-mouth recipes are the best! Reminds me of my Grandma’s tried and true Scotcheroo recipe.

Chocolate Coca-Cola Cake Ingredients

I used the cute screenshot at the beginning of the post as my inspiration but used the measurements from my own Texas sheet cake recipe. It’s even more chocolatey, buttery and delicious. Also, as I mentioned above, I used soda instead of milk in my frosting, and it turned out amazing. By doing this, you’ll use an entire 12-ounce can: 1 cup in the cake and the rest in the frosting.

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (salted)
1 cup cola (regular, NOT diet)
1/3 cup baking cocoa (I like using a combination of Hershey’s Special dark and regular baking cocoa)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk*
1 Tbsp. white vinegar*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*If using 1/2 cup buttermilk, omit vinegar.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, salted
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/3 cup Coca-Cola
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

How To Make Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Heat butter, 1 cup of Coke, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir as butter melts. Bring to a boil then remove from heat.
Slowly pour the butter/chocolate mixture over the flour mixture. Stir.
Whisk eggs, milk, vinegar, baking soda, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to the large bowl and mix until combined.
Pour cake batter into a greased 9×13″ baking pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (test for doneness with a toothpick).

Heat butter, remaining Coke (about 1/3 cup), and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat stirring, until butter melts. Remove from heat.
Pour over powdered sugar. Add vanilla and beat until smooth.
Pour frosting over the hot cake.

Allow the cake to cool completely before serving. We like eating Coca-Cola cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Store the leftover cake in an airtight container or cover the cake pan with plastic wrap.

Classic Coca-Cola Cake Recipe