Chocolate Cola Cake

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel on our trip home from New York. Cracker Barrel is always a fun stop, but we didn't have room for the chocolate cola cake on the menu that intrigued us. Gail found a recipe on food.com that she baked for me tonight. The cake was fluffy and light with a subtle cola flavor. The frosting was a good glaze of moist chocolate.

Even though the picture shows cupcakes, we think they would be better in a pan. The cupcakes were just too messy with the glaze. The recipe below is for a 9x13 cake.

We think there is a delicious variant to try by substituting rum for the vanilla in the cake or the glaze.

Chocolate Cola Cake

Cake:
1 c cola
½ c oil
½ c butter
3 T cocoa powder
2 c sugar
2 c flour
½ t salt
2 eggs
½ c buttermilk
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

Frosting:
¼ lb butter
3 T cocoa powder
6 T cream or milk
1 t vanilla
½ c chopped pecans
1 lb powdered sugar

Sheet cake pan or 9x13” Pyrex pan

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour cake pan.
2. In large saucepan, bring cola, oil, butter and cocoa to boil. Mix sugar, flour and salt; pour in boiling liquid; beat to remove all lumps.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla; beat well.
4. Pour into pan; bake 20-25 min.
5. While cake bakes, prepare frosting: In saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and cream; heat until butter melts. Beat in remaining ingredients, and spread on hot cake. Cool and cut.