Classic Coca Cola Cake with Marshmallows

I didn’t have high expectations for a cake laced with soda pop. But this Classic Coca Cola Cake with Marshmallows was moist, scrumptious and beloved by all who were lucky enough to get a slice.

Classic Coca Cola Cake with Marshmallows

I had a vague recollection of seeing this classic Coca Cola cke recipe once upon a time, but it sounded a bit odd. As a former Diet Coke addict, I can understand the appeal of an icy cold cola. But in cake? When my hair stylist raved about this cake (he and I both have a huge fondness for Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies), I took notice.

We had Coke in the fridge (the high octane regular version, not diet) and mini-marshmallows on hand. I had no excuse not to give it a try. Note the color differentiation in that forkful—the top is where those marshmallows melted into the batter. This Coca Cola cake with marshmallows one exceptionally moist, irresistible cake!

How to Make this Easy Coca Cola Cake

I had a feeling that my chocoholic family would give it their approval, but this one exceeded my expectations.

• I made the recipe pretty much as written except that I sprinkled the marshmallows over the batter and smoothed them into the top of the batter using an offset spatula. A couple reviews (this same recipe can be found all over the Internet) mentioned the cake was ugly due to the lumpy marshmallows, so I did my best to make it a little more attractive.
• I omitted  the sprinkling of pecans over the frosting so my family wouldn’t snub it. But if you are a fan of nuts in your desserts, add some chopped pecans to the frosting before it sets.

They went nuts for this easy coca cola cake(despite the lack of said nuts), as did my girlfriends who were over for lunch the next day. Not heavy on chocolate, even the picky daughter ate her fair share. It’s super tender, moist and delicious!! I think your family will adore this classic Coca Cola Cake with marshmallows as much as mine did.

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Coca Cola Cake

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A tender, moist chocolate cake with cola as the secret ingredient

• Author: Liz Berg
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 12 servings
• Category: Dessert, Cake
• Method: Mixing, Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 cup Coca-Cola
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/3 cup Coca-Cola
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with Baker’s Joy or butter and flour pan. Set aside.
2. Combine Coca-Cola and buttermilk and set aside.
3. Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until blended. Add egg and vanilla and beat till combined.
4. Combine flour, cocoa, and soda. Add to butter mixture alternately with cola mixture, starting and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until blended, scraping sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle marshmallows over top of batter and press into the top of the cake with an offset spatula so that marshmallows are flush with or below the surface.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
6. While cake is cooling, make frosting. Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar and vanilla until smooth.
7. Pour Coca-Cola Frosting over warm cake. Let cool to room temperature before serving.