The Best Coca-Cola Cake Recipe (Classic & Moist!)
What You'll Need: Simple pantry staples meet two cans of cola for an ultra-moist, fudgy chocolate sheet cake with a glossy cola icing. Using room-temperature sour cream and eggs keeps the batter silky-smooth.
Equipment
- 9x13-inch baking pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Large saucepan (for cake mixture)
- Large heatproof mixing bowl
- Whisk & spatula
- Saucepan (for icing)
- Wire rack
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 can (12 oz) Coca-Cola (or other cola)
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Fudgy Cola Icing
- 1 can (12 oz) Coca-Cola (or other cola)
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the Pan
- nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat & prep pan: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Bloom cola & cocoa (cake): In a saucepan, combine cola, butter, and 1/2 cup cocoa. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring often, about 7 minutes, until butter melts and mixture is smooth. Cool 5 minutes.
- Mix batter: In a large heatproof bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour in warm cola mixture; whisk until no dry streaks remain. Whisk in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Bake: Spread batter in pan. Bake 28–30 minutes, until edges pull from sides and a toothpick in center has a few moist crumbs. Cool on a rack while making icing.
- Reduce cola (icing): In a saucepan, boil the second can of cola over medium-high until reduced to about ⅓ cup, ~15 minutes, syrupy.
- Finish icing: Off heat, whisk in cubed butter and 1/4 cup cocoa until melted and smooth (about 30 seconds). Whisk in sifted powdered sugar and salt until glossy.
- Frost warm cake & set: Immediately pour warm icing over warm cake; spread evenly. Let sit at room temperature until fully set, about 1½ hours.
Notes
Pro tip: Blooming cocoa in hot cola intensifies chocolate flavor. Pouring warm icing over warm cake helps it soak in and set with a shiny, fudge-like finish.