Saturday Stirrings: Coca-Cola Marshmallow Cake

It's been a while since I was able to participate in the Saturday Stirrings recipe exchange hosted by Carol at I Throw Like a Girl. I'm pretty excited to see what everyone's sharing this week! I print the recipes that sound particularly good to put in my binder. Well, one of my binders; I have collected so many recipes over the years that I have several.

My Spanish tutor was in Cordoba Thursday and came across a store selling marshmallows and bought some for my birthday! We'd just been talking about marshmallows because one of our ornaments is a little marshmallow person. Have you seen the s'mores ornaments I'm talking about? Isn't that just the cutest thing? It's in honor of my hubby's mad handyman skilz.

Anyway, although Marcela has lived and taught in the U.S., she has never had a s'more so we were telling her about them. But said we didn't think we could buy marshmallows (or graham crackers) here. So when she saw the marshmallows, she picked some up for us! Isn't she sweet?!

Instead of the typical white fluffy cubes these marshmallows are pale pastel colored rope braids of marshmallowy goodness, about 1/2" in diameter and cut into three inch lengths. She found them in a candy store I believe.

I've actually been thinking about this cake for weeks so you have no idea how happy it makes me to have this almost-impossible-to-find ingredient!

This is a popular cake in the south but I'm not sure it's well known anywhere else. But it should be! Because Coca-Cola marshmallow cake is a national treasure, people. Which you will learn for yourself if you take the time to make this decadent dessert. This particular recipe is from a favorite little cookbook called Miss Mary's Down-Home Cooking.

COCA-COLA MARSHMALLOW CAKE
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk (or place 1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar in measuring cup and fill to 1/2 cup mark with milk, stir)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Coca-Cola, measured without foam
1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Icing:
1/4 cup butter
1-1/2 tablespoons Coca-Cola
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

First make the cake. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar. When done the mixture should be thick and pale yellow. Beat in the oil, buttermilk (or sour milk) and vanilla.

In another bowl stir together the flour and baking soda. Beat this into the liquid ingredients alternately with the cola. Stir in the marshmallows.

Turn batter into greased and floured 9"x13" baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes until tootghpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool.

When the cake is completely cool, make the icing: Heat the butter and cola in a saucepan until butter has melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Beat well. If too stiff, thin with a few drops of cola. Stir in the nuts. Spread the icing over the cake in the pan. Let icing set at least 10 minutes before cutting the cake.

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Before you rush off to the kitchen to make this cake, take a few minutes to check out the other Saturday Stirrings recipes!