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Test Kitchen Approved

Graduation Sheet Cake

Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Yield: 20 servings

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About

Celebration time! Significant achievements deserve significant treats, and there are few treats more significant than the Graduation Sheet Cake! The tender, chocolatey, sweet-and-spicy-cola-infused cake is already worth celebrating on its own, but with the luscious, creamy fudge frosting and crunchy, buttery pecan topping, this cake is a veritable firework display of flavors. Graduation Cake is sure to be a hit, both with your partygoers and with your own kitchen since it is so easy to make! This cake is a full-fledged graduate of flavor school, and it earned that degree!

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups spicy, fruity cola soft drink
  • 1 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups fudge icing, homemade or store bought
  • 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped, plus more to taste

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 -Lightly grease a 17 1/2x12 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Step 3 -In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cola, the oil, and the cocoa and bring the mixture to a boil.

Step 4 -Transfer the saucepan from the heat.

Step 5 -Whisk together the flour, the sugar, the brown sugar, the baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl.

Step 6 -Add the cola mixture, whisking until blended.

Step 7 -Whisk in the buttermilk, the eggs, and the vanilla.

Step 8 -Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan.

Step 9 -Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes.

Step 10 -Pour the fudge icing over the warm cake.

Step 11 -Sprinkle the cake with the pecans.

Step 12 -Cool the cake completely in the pan for at least 1 hour.

Step 13 -Slice and serve.

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