Jack & Coke Cake
Along with family recipe boxes filled with handwritten and an occasional typed creations, I inherited over 150 cookbooks from my mom. Many are specialty cookbooks featuring slow cooker concoctions, “Top Secret Restaurant” or even “Just Pies” (McNew’s favorite) along with celebrity penned books as well. These books became more of a collection. She would often order from her favorite cable shopping network and receive the latest and greatest from the UPS driver. As I sort through them now, I find many having never been opened. With her declining health it became more of an idea of cooking and creating these meals but, rarely a reality.
I flip through the pages looking for things to feature in the Whiskey Corner and occasionally I’ll find a slip of paper with mom’s handwriting on it. A note, or list of something she was planning on making. I think of them as little seeds planted along on this journey that I now must face without her. I hope and pray that by doing this and sharing recipes with you all, some of which are hers, that I honor her and her love of cooking and creating beautiful things.
For this particular cake, I combined a couple of things and made it my own - just like mom would’ve done. In fact, the frosting (minus the Jack) is very similar to her fudge that she’d make every Christmas season. (Expect the fudge recipe in few months when the holidays roll around again.)
This is a very rich cake and falls in the “go big or go home” when it comes to decadence. Almost the texture of a brownie, which I believe are the results of the marshmallows and the coke. The frosting turns it up a notch to 11.
The frosting will cover slightly more than a 9'“ x 13” cake. So you may have a little extra left over (if only every problem in life were like this).
Never fear, you can take the extra chocolate and pour onto a greased cookie sheet like fudge. Let cool and cut into pieces. Or just eat out of the pan until your spouse finds you unconscious on the kitchen floor like happened to me.
Coca-Cola Cake
For the Coca-Cola Cake you will need the following ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter melted (salted/unsalted) I used 1 stick of each
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup Coke (with carbonation) Pepsi is OK but never use diet
½ cup buttermilk (See Substitution * if you don’t have any)
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
Cake Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the flour and sugar in large bowl.
In another bowl combine melted butter, cocoa, and the Coke.
Add this mixture to the larger bowl of flour and sugar.
Stir until well blended.
Now add the buttermilk, beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well. I used my mixer on low until all were combined.
Fold in the marshmallows and coat well.
Pour into a greased 9”x 13” cake pan.
Bake for 40 minutes.
You can check it with a toothpick but the marshmallows make it hard to pull the toothpick out clean.
Let the cake cool until slightly warm.
Using the end of a wooden spoon poke holes into the cake in a random pattern (like a checkerboard).
While it’s cooling you can start your frosting. The frosting is very fudge-like in consistency and sets very quickly so you cannot make it ahead of time. It’s also next to impossible to “frost” the cake with a knife. I tried and it didn’t look very pretty as my pictures reveal.
*Buttermilk Substitution:
Who has buttermilk ever??? For this recipe, I did go out and buy some but it’s expensive and I’ll never use the entire ½ pint I bought. Just in case you miss picking some up, there is a way to make your own.
Since this cake only calls for ½ cup of buttermilk, you will use 1 ½ teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice, then add milk to measure to your ½ cup. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
Voila!! You’ve made buttermilk.
Jack Daniels Frosting
These are the ingredients needed for the Jack Daniels frosting:
1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons)
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup + 2 ounces Jack Daniels. (Put the 2 ounces in a separate glass, this does not go in the frosting)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
½ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Frosting directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk. Stirring often.
While waiting for it to boil, take the glass containing the 2 ounces of Jack Daniels into your non-stirring hand. Sipping often.
A watched pot never boils? Well no one ever tried it while drinking.
Once to a rolling boil, stir constantly for 1 minute timed.
Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips and Jack stirring until melted.
Using a spoon drizzle the chocolate into the holes you poked in the cake. Now, pour the remainder over your cake in an even layer. Again, it sets quickly. Try for a nice smooth layer.
This was a fun from scratch cake to make and it’s worth whatever the caloric intake is. We only live once and we’re whiskey drinkers for Heaven’s sake. Right?
Enjoy! And Remember to always take time to dance!
