Copycat Cracker Barrel 40th Anniversary Double Fudge Cola Cake
"Cracker Barrel brought back their famous double fudge cola cake for their 40th anniversary and I was able to give their version a try. It was quite different from most of the usual copycat recipes out there, so perhaps their current version has been somewhat adapted over time. There are no nuts in this version. I did base my version on one I originally found on copycat.com, and I think I have it just about right. Expect a very moist, rich, deep dark chocolate sheet cake with a very fudgey thick frosting."
photo by HeatherFeather
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 18
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) can Coke, divided
- 1 cup unsalted butter, divided, at room temp (2 sticks, each 4 ounces)
- 1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup miniature marshmallow (measure these by volume, not weight)
- 1⁄2 cup Butter Flavor Crisco
- 1⁄2 cup canola oil
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3⁄4 cup 2% low-fat milk
- 3 tablespoons dry buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1⁄3 cups white lily all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄4 cups unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder, divided
- 1⁄4 cup chocolate syrup (I Used Fox's U-Bet)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
directions
- Arrange oven racks to that there is room for a 9x13" sized baking pan to fit on the TOP rack, allowing for room for the cake to grow; preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan with deep sides.
- Measure out just 1 cup of the Coke, setting the rest aside to use later in the recipe.
- Place the measured Coke, just 1 stick of the butter, and the square of chocolate in a saucepan; heat, stirring often, until melted and mixture is boiling.
- Stir in the marshmallows, lowering the heat a bit if needed, and continue to stir until the mixture is fully melted and combined together; Set this mixture aside to cool a bit.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine shortening, oil, and only 2 tsp of the vanilla; Add the granulated sugar and mix well.
- Add both eggs and the milk and beat well, using an electric mixer.
- In another mixing bowl, combine buttermilk powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt; sift in the flour; Measure out just 3/4 cup of the cocoa powder and sift this into the flour mixture, stirring all of these dry ingredients together to blend.
- Add HALF of the flour mixture to the shortening mixture, beating until smooth.
- Slowly add some of the partially cooled fudge mixture, beating well.; Continue adding slowly and mixing it in carefully so you don't scramble the eggs in the batter; Once all of the fudge mixture has been added, be sure to beat the mixture well.
- Add in the remaining flour mixture and beat for 4 minutes exactly, using a timer; Mixture should now be a thick and creamy batter.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake tests clean.
- Take your toothpick and poke holes all over the surface of the cake.
- Allow to cool long enough to still be somewhat warm, but not so hot that the icing will melt instantly when placed onto the cake.
- Take the remaining 1 stick of butter, the remaining 1 tsp vanilla, the remaining 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and the chocolate syrup and mix together in a small bowl.
- Add in about 1/3 cup of the remaining Coke.
- Add in the powdered sugar and blend well; it should be the consistency of hot fudge sauce - very thick, but not firm, but also not runny; If you need to add a bit more Coke or powdered sugar to adjust the icing to your liking, now is the time.
- Pour the fudge icing evenly over the still warm cake, then allow to set for a while - the icing will ooze into the toothpick holes a bit and firm up slightly on the surface (although it will still be a quite gooey topping).
- Serve cake still slightly warm or at room temperature, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side if desired.
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Reviews
-
I love the Coca Cola cake from Cracker Barrel, and this recipe is very very close! I'm not sure what the original recipe calls for, but as a former Barrel employee, I do know that we use twice the chocolate it originally calls for. -
Really, a whole lot of work for just an average cake.
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@Lucysmom79 post: Step 6 is where you add the granulated sugar. -
I made this exactly as it is written and I am not sure what was missing from the instructions, but the 2 cups of granulated sugar in the ingredient list was never even used. The cake did not rise it came out like brown cornbread...It is the worst cake I have ever made and I am so sad I wasted all that money on all these ingredients...If someone could tell me where the granulated sugar comes into the cake and what I could do differently to make this better I would appreciate it...Thanks!!
