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By Betsy DiJulio onDairy Free Desserts, Dairy-Free Recipes
New Recipe! Betsy is a true perfectionist. Years ago she shared her fantastic recipe for vegan coca cola cake with us, which was well-loved from the get-go. But she has continued to test and tweak her formula, which she says is now EXACTLY right.
If you have ever perused a “church cookbook,” as we call them down South, then you’ve undoubtedly seen a recipe for coca cola cake. And if you’ve been to a “dinner on the grounds” at said southern church, then you’ve surely seen such a cake, and possibly even savored a slice.
Coca cola cake looks like a basic chocolate sheet cake, but it is oh-so-much more: dense, moist, and though it contains a small amount of cocoa, it’s very chocolaty and caramel-like from the cola.
This is my third and final iteration of trying to veganize this old classic. Why final? Because Ifinallygot it. I posted the previous two versions of my vegan coca cola cake because I thought I had it each time. The moistness and flavor of the most recent formula was spot-on, but it sunk a bit resulting in a layer of frosting that was as thick as the cake. Truthfully, too much frosting isn’t a huge problem in my book, but, for the sake of keeping up appearances, this new and improved recipeis perfection.
And it was an accident. In the hopes of achieving a bit more sophistication in the flavor, I plannedto try my recipe with Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa. But all I had was self-rising flour; the original recipe calls for all-purpose flour and baking soda. As luck would have it,self-rising flour, which includes baking powder, proved to be the trick, along with flaxseed meal! Combining both baking powder and baking sodaprovided theproper lift and prevented that dreaded post-baking sink. Because most folks don’t keep self-rising flour around, I converted this vegan coca cola cake recipe based on the generally-accepted amount of baking powder in each cup of self-rising flour.
Special Diet Notes & Options: Coca Cola Cake
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, peanut-free, optionallynut-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.
For a soy-free and vegan coca cola cake, use a dairy-free soy-free buttery spread(Earth Balance has a couple options).
Though this is called a Coca Cola Cake, you can definitely use another brand of cola, such as Blue Sky or China Cola, for a natural alternative. Betsy uses a natural brand, too, instead of Coke.
4.0 from 2 reviews
Vegan Coca Cola Cake with Fudgy Frosting
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
For the most authentic flavor, I recommend using regular cocoa powder. But for a darker color and richer flavor profile, try the Special Dark cocoa, which is a blend of natural cocoa and Dutched cocoa.
Author: Betsy DiJulio
Serves: One 9x13-inch cake
Ingredients
Vegan Coca Cola Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose or white-wheat flour
- 2 cups natural sugar (such as demerera)
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup dairy-free buttery spread or sticks
- 3 tablespoons cocoa, natural or Hershey’s Special Dark
- 1 cup natural cola (or if you drink Coca-Cola, by all means)
- ½ cup dairy-free milk beverage (tested with soymilk, but a soy-free version will work)
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal / ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pecan halves, for garnish (optional)
Fudgy Cola Frosting:
- ½ cup dairy-free buttery spread or sticks
- ½ cup natural cola
- 3 tablespoons cocoa, natural or Hershey’s Special Dark
- 1 box (16 ounces) powdered confectioner’s sugar
- 1 cup broken or chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
For the Vegan Cola Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soymilk, flaxseed meal, vinegar, and vanilla.
- Add the buttery spread, cocoa and cola to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook just to boiling, reduce the heat and stir occasionally until the buttery spread is melted. Remove from heat.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and sugar mixture. Pour in the soymilk mixture followed by the buttery mixture. Whisk just until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and gently smooth the top. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, checking for doneness with a wooden pick inserted in the center after about 20 minutes.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and make the frosting and pour it over the warm cake. Smooth the frosting over top of cake. Garnish, if desired with the pecan halves.
- Let cool completely before servings. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.
For the Fudgy Cola Frosting:
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the buttery spread, cola, and cocoa to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir occasionally until all is melted.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time, until smooth and completely incorporated. Stir in the pecans, if using, and immediately frost the cake.
