Recipe of the week
A classic Southern highball is the inspiration for this decadent chocolate cake, which you’ll find in the new Southern Sympathy Cookbook, said CJ Lotz in GardenAndGun.com. “Coke helps make it moist, and a toot of Jack Daniel’s helps even more.”
Jack and Coke sheet cake
1½ cups Coca-Cola • 3¾ sticks unsalted butter • ½ cup cocoa powder • ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp Jack Daniel’s whiskey • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed • 1 cup granulated sugar • 1 tsp baking soda • ½ tsp salt • ½ cup whole buttermilk • 2 eggs • 1 tsp vanilla • ½ cup chopped pecans • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• Preheat oven to 350. Spray 18-by-12-inch sheet cake pan with baking spray. Pour 1 cup Coke into a large saucepan. Add 2 sticks butter, cubed, ¼ cup cocoa powder, and 2 tbsp whiskey. Cook over medium heat, stirring until butter melts and mixture is smooth.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown and granulated sugars, baking soda, and salt. Stir cocoa mixture into dry ingredients until blended. Pour buttermilk into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, beat in eggs and vanilla, add to batter and stir until combined. Stir in pecans. Spread batter in pan in an even layer. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
• Wipe out saucepan and melt 1¾ sticks butter with ½ cup Coke, ¼ cup whiskey, and cocoa powder over medium heat, stirring until combined. Beat in confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time until frosting is smooth. Pour frosting over cake, using a spatula to cover entire surface. Let cool before serving. ■
