Chocolate cola cake

Making a chocolate cake with cola gives the sponge has a fudgy, fizzy texture, that's similar to a brownie.

Sandwiched together with a light chocolate buttercream and topped with sweet, jellied cola bottles and peanut M&Ms, this cake will be a hit with all ages and is perfect for a birthday celebration. If you like to experiment with decorating cakes with your favourite treats, you might also like our pick 'n' mix sweetie cake,  as well as our Smarties cake - and our incredibly decadent chocolate drip cake, which is topped with whole chocolate bars.

Unlike our Mary Berry's chocolate cake, which is topped with chocolate icing, we've topped this with deliciously rich swirls of chocolate buttercream.

It takes 1hr to make this cake and can serve up to 6 people. Serve with your favourite ice cream, or enjoy on its own with a cuppa.

Ingredients

For the chocolate cola cake:

125g butter 240g light brown muscovado sugar 4 medium eggs 480ml cola 125g cocoa powder 250g self-raising flour ½tsp bicarbonate soda

For the chocolate buttercream:

200g icing sugar 100g butter 50g cocoa powder 2-3tsp water

To decorate:

Cola bottles Red M&Ms

How to make chocolate cola cake

Lining tins for chocolate cola cake

Step 1

Preheat your oven 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3 and line 2x 21cm/9inch cake tins with greaseproof paper.

Measuring cola for a chocolate cake

Step 2

Measure out the coca-cola in a jug and leave on the side to stand for 5 mins so it’s not too fizzy when you add it to the mix.

Mixing ingredients for chocolate cola cake

Step 3

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, butter and eggs with an electric hand whisk until combined.

Mixing ingredients for chocolate cola cake

Step 4

Gradually add in the cola and cocoa powder a bit at a time taking it in turns, one after the other, until you’ve added it all in. Whisk continuously until combined – make sure you don’t over whisk it. The mixture will be rather wet at this stage.

Mixing ingredients for chocolate cola cake

Step 5

Next add in the flour and bicarbonate soda. Fold this into the mixture with a wooden spoon until completely combined.

Mixture for chocolate cola cake

Step 6

Pour the mixture into the 2 cake tins, making sure you get an even amount in each. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins until spongy to touch. You can check they’re cooked the whole way through by poking them with a knife – if it comes out clean they’re cooked, if not pop it back in the oven, checking every 5 mins until done.

Two layers of a chocolate cola cake

Step 7

Leave the cakes in the tins for about 5 mins until cooled slightly. Run a knife around the edges of the tin and turn upside down onto a wire rack, carefully flip the cakes right side up and leave to cool completely.

Whisking buttercream

Step 8

While the cakes cool, prepare the chocolate buttercream. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and water with an electric hand whisk and gradually add in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Mix until smooth and combined. If the mixture is too thick, add a few more drops of water. Leave to one side.

Preparing a layer of a chocolate cola cake

Step 9

Decide which cake is going to be the base and which is going to be the topper. Cut the base across the top using a bread knife to make it level.

Covering a chocolate cola cake with buttercream

Step 10

Cover the base in a generous helping of chocolate buttercream, spreading with a spatula or spoon. Pop the top cake onto the buttercream and press down firmly.

decorating a chocolate cola cake

Step 11

Spoon the rest of the chocolate mix into a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the cake.

chocolate cola cake

Step 12

Finish by topping each swirl with a red M&M, decorating the rest of the cake in cola bottles.

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Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 11 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies