CocaCola Cake with Coca Cola Frosting

 Southerners love their soft drinks. So much so that we need to pour them into all kinds of things other than glasses. I grew up with lots of foods that contained Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite and others. Ham glazes, Barbecue sauces, sweets of all kinds - each of these has a become a venue for pouring on the sweet stuff.

Coca-Cola is the grandmother of all soft drinks, and this chocolatey cake has been around almost as long as the company has. Marshmallows are used to up the sweet factor, and I will say the Coke gives a nice punch of flavor. One trick is to use the frosting while it's still warm - otherwise it gets too thick to spread.

You'll Need:

For the Cake:

· 2 cups all purpose flour

· 2 cups sugar

· 3 tablespoons cocoa

· 1 cup Coca-Cola

· 1 cup butter

· 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

· 2 eggs, beaten

· 1/2 cup buttermilk

· 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

· 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· ½ teaspoon salt

For the Frosting:

·         1/2 cup butter

·         1 tablespoon cocoa

·         6 tablespoons Coca-Cola

·         1 box confectioner's sugar, (1pound)

·         1/2 cup chopped pecans

Butter and flour two 8 inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, coming flour and sugar. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, Coca-Cola, butter and marshmallows. Bring to a boil, stirring well. Remove from heat, and combine with the flour/sugar mixture.

In another large mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Stir well to fully combine. Add the Coca-Cola mixture to the buttermilk mixture. Stir well, scraping down sides of the bowl.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the middle of the layers should come clean. Allow cake/cakes to cool for ten minutes in their pans, then turn cakes onto a wire rack for cooling. Frost cakes while both the frosting and the cakes are still warm

For the Frosting:

In a saucepan, bring butter, cocoa, and Coca-Cola to a boil. Stir in the sugar and mix well. Fold in nuts. Use immediately.