Cola Cake

LOOK away.  Look away now.  If you liked my Rachel Allen brownie recipe you will love this.

This is my version of a sublime cake our boys fell on in a gorgeous, family friendly, inside outside restaurant in Wexford town called The Yard Restaurant.  It also has a crooked bathroom.  And this is before the wine arrives.

I can’t say enough about this place.  Really and truly except I am kind of glad we live an hour and forty minutes away as we would be eating out in The Yard a whole helluva lot. Of course, on a gloriously sunny day if we felt like going back to the beach, we could do exactly that and visit this haven of gastro delights afterwards.

We were watered and fed as a family of two adults and 4 kids, including 5 main courses, four desserts, two glasses of wine and two coffees for €65.  In comparison to a gastro pub we also visited costing €63 for 5 main courses and two coffees. 

Did I mention dessert?  I tried but my eyes kept skittering back to one item on the menu and that was cola cake.

Cola cake.  Four pairs of blue and brown eyes glittered at me from across the table as I whispered those words in reverence.

It arrived, a slice each, warmed on the plate and served with a scoop of butterscotch or toffee ice-cream.  Sprinkled with honeycomb and a toffee sauce drizzled all over.

The silence was broken only by the “hhmmmmm’s” as spoons were scraped on empty plates before fingers rubbed them clean.

I began my quest to source a cola cake recipe immediately on arriving back home and this was the least complicated one I could find.  

You’re very welcome, so you are.

Stuff you will need to make Cola Cake

250g (9oz) self-raising flour

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda (aka bread soda)

150g (5 ½ oz) soft brown sugar

150g (5 ½ oz) butter

200ml diet cola

150ml buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting

*100g (3 ½ oz) good dark chocolate

3 tbsp. diet cola

3 tbsp. buttermilk

Stuff you will have to do to take to make Cola Cake

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease and line spring form tin.  (Large cheesecake tin)

Sift flour, cocoa powder and bread soda into a bowl.  Add sugar.

Melt butter over low heat.  Add cola to butter and remove from heat.

Beat buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract. 

Whisk cola mix into dry mix. Then whisk buttermilk mix gently but thoroughly.

Bake for 35-40 mins or until skewer comes clean.

Cool for 15 mins.  Then turn out.

For the frosting, combine chocolate and cola over a low heat.  A thick ganache type paste will form.  Add the buttermilk and spread over the cake.  *I think I will try milk chocolate the next time.  Dark is fine but the kids weren’t keen.  

It goes without saying a helping of vanilla ice-cream brings this absolute treat to life and forces you back for another slice.

To clear up the crooked toilet issue.  It’s so cool and I regret not taking pictures.  The walls are tiled in black and red.  All set at an angle which creates the illusion of tilting walls.  Pretty cool and funky stuff.  I would like to see if they straighten up after sinking a bottle of their gorgeous house white. 

If you get an opportunity at all, I highly recommend visiting The Yard Restaurant in Wexford town.  You won’t be disappointed.  I promise.