Coca-Cola cupcakes

The idea of a coca-cola cupcake seems to send everyone I tell into flabbergasted fits of wonder.

"Coca-Cola? In a cupcake?" It's as though the concept is both horrifying and too-good-to-be-true.

But when you consider the ingredients in cola: sugar, caramel colour and acid, its addition to baking and general cooking starts to make more sense. Nigella Lawson is probably one of its more well-known proponents for the wonders of cola cooking -- coquettish smile and helpless moan of satisfaction entirely optional.

Most cola cake recipes call for either buttermilk or yoghurt, a combination that gives the cake a very soft and moist crumb, much like red velvet cake. I frosted these with a cola-flavoured version of quick and easy buttercream frosting, and dusted them with cola flavoured Wizz Fizz -- found at Aldi a few months ago, and hoarded in my pantry for a perfect baking opportunity just like this one.


Cola-Cola Cupcakes

250g (1 1/3) cups plain flour
185g (3/4 cup) sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
125g (1/2 cup) plain yoghurt (pref. Greek-style otherwise use buttermilk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup Coca-Cola or carbonated cola drink

Coca-Cola icing
125g unsalted butter, softened
250g pure icing sugar
1-2 Tbsp Coca-Cola or carbonated cola

Decorations (optional)
Sour cola bottles or gummy cola bottles
Cola-flavoured Wizz Fizz or sherbet


Preheat oven to 180C.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a separate jug, mix together the egg, yoghurt and vanilla.

Gently heat the butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola in a heavy saucepan until melted, then add to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a woodeen spoon.

Add the yoghurt mixture to the batter and stir well until everything is incorporated.

Portion out the batter into patty-lined muffin tins. Fill to about two-thirds to three-quarters full. The recipe should make about 12-15 standard sized cupcakes.

Bake at 180C for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Pipe the Coca-Cola icing onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with cola bottles and a heavy dusting of cola sherbet.


To make the icing, beat the butter using an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat until incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon of cola and beat. Add more cola and/or icing according to texture and taste.

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Cupcakes - Red velvet
Cupcakes - Vanilla by Nigella