Here's how summer ended for us.
We spent Saturday on the beach in North Carolina with 5 friends. It was a perfect day. Jumping waves in the ocean, bobbing along and waiting for the next big one. Sitting on the sand, each of us with a book in hand, trying to get through them before sundown. And talking about the fall, what we're looking forward to, what we're excited about, and, of course, what we look forward to eating.
It also happened to be our friend Ralph's birthday. To celebrate, we decided to bake a cake. The drink of choice among our friends is Makers Mark bourbon from the great state of Kentucky, mixed with either a Coca-Cola, a Diet Coke or soda water.
The two of us were both quiet familiar with "Coke cakes," having grown up with them at countless church potlucks and family gatherings.
So in honor of Ralph's birthday, we thought, why not try a Makers-and-Coke Cake?
This is an incredibly simple cake to make and comes together very easily -- perfect for a vacation. The cake itself bakes quickly, and the frosting is a cinch. (Another plus for a beach house, when you may be cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen: This cake doesn't require a mixer.) The frosting is slathered on the cake while it's still hot, so there's no extensive cooling time.
If we had been baking at home, where we have more equipment, we would have likely done things a bit differently. We love the idea of making this into a layer cake, rather than serving it straight from the pans, just for aesthetic reasons. But it was the beach, and we were in a hurry to get back to the water, so we just served the cake in two round pans. (No one in our crowd seemed put out.)
That night, we had flank steak for dinner, served with green beans and corn on the cob. After dinner, we sang "Happy Birthday," Ralph blew out the candles and we cut the cake.
The reviews? Very positive (and believe us, our friends would tell us if they thought otherwise). We all really enjoyed this cake. The bourbon flavor was subtle, but nice. If you've never had a Coke Cake, it doesn't really taste like Coca-Cola; the soda just adds sweetness.
It was a perfect way to end our vacation.
Other Baking From the Beach:
Makers and Coke Cake
Adapted from The Coca-Cola Company
NOTES FROM ZACH AND CLAY:
- We made this cake in two 8-inch round pans, rather than one large sheet.
- The original recipe calls for pecans, but we didn't want them to compete with the bourbon, so we omitted them.
- You can, of course, omit the bourbon if it's not your thing. If you do, use the proportions in the orginal recipe.
Cake:
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups small marshmallows
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup Coca-Cola®
2 tablespoons Makers Mark or other bourbon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
5 tablespoons Coca-Cola
2 tablespoons Makers Mark or other bourbon
1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, sift sugar and flour.Add marsh- mallows. In saucepan, mix butter, oil, cocoa, and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter along with eggs, vanilla extract and bourbon, mixing well. Pour into a well-greased 9-by-13-inch pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and frost immediately.
To make frosting, combine butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over confectioners' sugar, blending well. Add vanilla extract and bourbon. Spread over hot cake. When cool, cut into squares and serve.
*The cake recipe was contributed by Lee Avery Catts to "Atlanta Cooknotes" published by The Junior League of Atlanta.
