Copycat Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola Cake

This Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola Cake is a copycat of the famous restaurant recipe. It's a simple sheet cake made in an hour that your family and friends will love. Everyone will think you went and bought it from the restaurant!

Calling all of the Cracker Barrel lovers out there! This Coca-Cola Cake is for you. We've been fans of the famous chocolate cake at the restaurant for as long as we can remember.

So we knew we had to figure out how to make the famous dessert right at home. Our copycat Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola Cake tastes just like the restaurant, even our friends and family tell us so!

It happens to be pretty similar to a Texas Sheet Cake (which we have a viral recipe for!), so we knew once we tested a couple versions of the recipe, we would make it perfectly.

The best part is the Coca-Cola Cake is made with affordable, pantry ingredients and only takes an hour to assemble. It's truly great to make ahead for a crowd whether your hosting a party or bringing the dessert.

Get ready for everyone to love this insanely delicious dessert recipe. If you want some more easy cakes to try, we also recommend our Honey Bun Cake and Zinger Cake.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Easy cake recipe anyone can make. If you love a chocolate cake, you have to try this recipe. It's rich and decadent, but so easy to prepare in about an hour.
• Just like the Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Cake. This copycat recipe truly tastes the same as the restaurant! We've been eating the Cracker Barrel double fudge coca-cola cake for years, so knew we had to crack the code on the secret recipe.
• Great for a crowd. You can make this in advance of a party to serve at a big gathering with all of your family and friends. They will definitely be asking for the recipe.

Ingredients

Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Full Printable Recipe Card Below

Coca-Cola Cake:

• Salted butter: The fat that makes the cake moist and also adds that rich flavor.
• Vegetable or canola oil: Additional fat that pairs with the butter for the gooey texture.
• Coca-Cola: Flavors the cake and compliments the cocoa powder perfectly. The bubbles in the soda also work with the baking soda to tenderize the cake as well.
• Special dark cocoa powder: We love the dark cocoa powder here for it's extra rich flavor.
• All-purpose flour: Gives the cake it's structure.
• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness to the batter.
• Baking soda: The leavening agent that makes the cake melt in your mouth and also helps it to rise to the perfect height.
• Whole buttermilk: Be sure to shake this well. The acid in the buttermilk also works to make the cake soft.
• Large eggs: Help to bind everything together.
• Vanilla extract: Adds caramel and floral notes to batter.

Coca-Cola Frosting:

• Salted butter: The base of any delicious frosting.
• Special dark cocoa powder: Helps make the frosting extra rich in chocolate flavor.
• Coca-Cola: More is added to the top layer of course!
• Powdered sugar: Responsible both for sweetening the icing but also giving it the correct texture.
• Vanilla extract: Adds caramel notes and brings out all of the flavors.

Tools You’ll Need

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Liquid Measuring Cups
• Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
• Mixing Bowls
• Spatula
• 13"x9" Baking Dish

How to Make Cracker Barrel Coca-Cola Cake

Coca-Cola Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, and baking soda.

3. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine Coca-Cola, oil, salted butter, and cocoa powder. Stir until the butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Once it starts to come to a boil, remove from heat.

4. Pour the warm Coca-Cola mixture into the flour mixture. Mix with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth and free of lumps.

5. Add buttermilk, and blend for 30 seconds.
6. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Blend another 30 seconds.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan before adding the frosting.

Coca-Cola Frosting:

1. In a saucepan on medium heat, add butter, cocoa powder and Coca-Cola. Stir until the mixture is smooth and heated through.

2. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. If the frosting is too thick, you can add a bit more Coca-Cola to reach your desired consistency. Too thin, add more powdered sugar.

3. Once the cake has cooled completely, spread the Coca-Cola frosting over the top.

Expert Tips for Coca-Cola Cake

• Be sure to add the melted butter and Coca-Cola mixture to the cake ingredients warm. This is different than a traditional cake method, but is so important to do correctly in order to get the melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Frost the cake once it's cooled. If you frost it while it's still hot, you will have a runny mess.
• Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting mixture. This ensures there are no clumps in your frosting making it smooth and creamy.
• Swap out the Coca-Cola. You could also try another soda like cherry coke, root beer, or Dr. Pepper, all would be delicious.
• Toppings. This cake is incredible by itself, but feel free to add yummy toppings. Some great options are ice cream, whipped cream, fresh berries, or caramel.

Storage

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

You can freeze the cake too, but we can't promise the texture will be the same. If you do want to make it ahead, we recommend freezing just the cake by itself and then making the Coca-Cola frosting fresh to spread on top when you're ready to serve.

FAQs

More Easy Dessert Recipes

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• White Chocolate Cake
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