Healthy dinners

Cocoa Cola Bundt Cake

Traditional Coca-Cola cake, a staple of the American South, usually comes in the form of a chocolate sheet cake that's doused in a gooey glaze. The batter is splashed with a bit of cola, sometimes for flavor but mostly for fluff; the soda's carbonation acts as a leavening agent, similar to baking soda or baking powder, helping the cake rise and come out light and airy.

Ingredients

Cola Syrup

  • 3 cups cola soft drink

  • .50 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cake
  • Baking spray with flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (8 ounces), softened
  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
  • .50 cup granulated sugar
  • 2.50 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 5/8 ounces)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • .50 teaspoon baking powder
  • .50 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • .50 cup sour cream
  • 1.50 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Glaze
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar (about 3 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon whole milk
Additional Ingredients

  • Sweetened whipped cream and amarena cherries (optional)

Step by step

Make the cola syrup:

  1. Bring cola and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Reserve 1/4 cup cola syrup in a liquid measuring cup for glaze.

Make the cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with baking spray. Stir butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar into remaining 3/4 cup cola syrup in saucepan. Cook over medium-low, stirring often, until butter is melted and sugars are dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and egg yolks, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, and zests in a medium bowl; gradually whisk in slightly cooled syrup mixture until well combined. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add egg mixture, stirring until well combined. Spoon batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack, and let cool completely, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Make the glaze:
  1. Whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, cocoa, and reserved 1/4 cup cola syrup in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in milk until creamy, pourable, and smooth.
  2. Place cake on a plate. Pour glaze over cake. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Serve with whipped cream and cherries, if desired.

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