The Cupcake Addict's Cupcake Collection

Mr Shuck actually suggested today’s letter.   For those Pepsi® fans, I am an Atlanta girl.  I could not in good conscience make a Pepsi cake.  A lot of people don’t seem to like Vanilla Coke® based on the reaction I had when telling people at work what to expect for the next letter.  Back when I was consuming 6 Diet Coke’s a day, I LOVED Diet Vanilla Coke.  Fortunately, I am off of soda almost completely now.   While I was researching, I discovered the Coca Cola website has a recipe posted for Coca Cola cake.  However, it has a little cocoa in it and also marshmallows.  I didn’t want the chocolate taste and can’t have the marshmallows so I passed on that one.  I found a recipe for root beer cake and used that instead.   The recipe called for root beer extract, so I substituted cola syrup instead.   Since I work in a pharmacy, I had easy access.  (Cola syrup is used for nausea.)

I combined

• 1 cup Coca Cola (the Mexican one, since it contains sugar, not corn syrup)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

and let them sit for a few minutes, then I added

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoonfuls cola syrup
• 1/2 teaspoonful vanilla extract

In another bowl, I combined

• 1 & 1/3 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoonful baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoonful baking powder

I mixed the wet and dry ingredients, filled my lined mini cupcake pans 3/4 full and baked at 350 for around 12 minutes.  (Until the tops were no longer dry.)  I let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then moved them to a rack.

I had originally intended to make an Italian Meringue Butter cream, but then decided it was too dense.  I wanted something fluffy like the foam on top of a really cold soda, so I decided on just an Italian Meringue (no butter).  I was hoping to make a 1/2 batch of icing, so I didn’t end up with a bucketful leftover, but I normally use 5 egg whites and didn’t want to figure out the math involved in 2/5 or 3/5 of a recipe.  (I have a bucketful left over.)  To make the meringue, I combined 1 cup of sugar with about 1/4 cup of the remaining Coca Cola (instead of water.)  I brought this to a boil.  When it reached about 220 degrees, I started whipping the egg whites, adding 1/4 cup of sugar after the soft peak stage.  When the eggs were at medium peak and the syrup was up to 240 degrees (soft ball), I started pouring the syrup into the whites and whipped until firm peaks were formed and the meringue had cooled.   I added a little cola syrup and probably 1 tablespoonful of vanilla paste while the eggs were whipping.

I piped the icing onto the cakes using a flat tip as I was hoping for a relatively flat icing.  (Liquids don’t mound up.)  I garnished with a gummy cola bottle which I hope is tasty.  (More gelatin, so I don’t eat them.)

I think these turned out nice.  They don’t really taste like anything in particular…but then Coca Cola is carbonated caramel color…. The cake is moist and light and the icing is foamy.  Mr Shuck says it reminds him of Coke foam.