Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

Preparation 1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13- inch cake pan. 2. Whisk together the cake mix, cherry cola, oil, eggs, vanilla, and the reserved cherry juice in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the maraschino cherries. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 1 hour. 3. Make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla, then beat in the remaining powdered sugar. Add the marshmallow crème and mix well, then fold in the cherries. Frost the cooled cake in the pan. Cooks' NoteSouthern Simple: If I make this in July, I'll use fresh pitted cherries in the frosting for a bit of tang and garnish the top with fresh cherries as well. Jimi and I can eat our weight in fresh cherries during the summer. We're always bringing them on the bus to share. If it isn't cherry season, I use bright maraschino cherries in the frosting. Southern Mother: For a really silly decoration for a kid's party, top the cake with some cherry- and cola bottle-shaped gummy candies. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon. Recipe from Oh Gussie!, by Coming Up Daisies, Inc., f/s/o Kimberly Schlapman, Copyright © 2015. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Preparation 1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13- inch cake pan. 2. Whisk together the cake mix, cherry cola, oil, eggs, vanilla, and the reserved cherry juice in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the maraschino cherries. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for at least 1 hour. 3. Make the frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla, then beat in the remaining powdered sugar. Add the marshmallow crème and mix well, then fold in the cherries. Frost the cooled cake in the pan. Cooks' NoteSouthern Simple: If I make this in July, I'll use fresh pitted cherries in the frosting for a bit of tang and garnish the top with fresh cherries as well. Jimi and I can eat our weight in fresh cherries during the summer. We're always bringing them on the bus to share. If it isn't cherry season, I use bright maraschino cherries in the frosting. Southern Mother: For a really silly decoration for a kid's party, top the cake with some cherry- and cola bottle-shaped gummy candies. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon. Recipe from Oh Gussie!, by Coming Up Daisies, Inc., f/s/o Kimberly Schlapman, Copyright © 2015. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.