Cola and marshmallows in a chocolate cake batter immediately spiked my interest. I didn’t realize that Coca Cola Cake was such a big thing in the south, but it originated there and continues to be very popular. Most of the cola cakes seem to be served with a gooey chocolate icing. (There is a recipe for that kind of icing here.)

Today’s recipe for Cola Cake is supremely moist, sweet and a bit fudgy. The tart-sweet sour cream topping beautifully cuts the cake’s sweetness and the strawberries are a lovely complement.

Cola Cake With Strawberries And Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 can (12 ounces) cola
1/2 cup butter, chopped
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking soda.

3. In a large saucepan, bring cola to a boil then cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup, about 8 minutes. Stir in butter, oil and cocoa. Return to a boil, stirring occasionally then remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows until melted.

4. Add cola mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

5. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended.

6. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer to prepared dish.

7. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

8. Cool completely in baking pan on a wire rack.

9. Serve cake with topping and strawberries. Keep leftover cake in the refrigerator.

Note: The cake looks pretty with the topping and strawberries spread over it. However, if you think you will have a lot of leftovers, you are better off serving individual slices with a dollop of cream and some strawberries. The topping looked kind of tired the next day on my cake. I would, instead, store it in a covered container in the fridge to top any leftover cake slices.

Serves 15

Topping

Ingredients:

2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix sour cream, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Recipes from Taste Of Home

Ooooh! This is so pretty. Nobody is going to tell Elijah to ‘shut up’ when he’s pouring out music like this.

“Heaven is a place that you can go
to when you’re feeling underwater
And when you are afraid
there are a hundred kinds
of solace you can find”

Check out Elliah Heifetz on Facebook where you can learn of an upcoming show in NYC. You can buy his music here.

Cheers!